Anubias gigantea

Also known as Giant Anubias

FreshwaterRhizomeRhizome division

Anubias gigantea (Anubias gigantea) — (c) Igor Balashov, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: No CO₂ needed
Temperature: 72–82°F; 22–28°C
Max height: 19.7 in; 50 cm

Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Background
Type: Rhizome
pH: 6.0–7.5
Hardness: 2–15 dGH
Spread: 13.8 in (35 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Easy
Family: Araceae
Origin: West Africa (Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo)

Overview

A true background plant for large tanks; attach the thick rhizome to substantial wood or rock and leave it exposed, as burying it causes rot. It is slow and tolerant of low light with no CO2, but it grows fully and develops its hallmark lobed leaves best when grown emersed or only partly submersed, so submerged specimens often stay smaller and plainer. Be patient, give it space and stable water, and expect months between major new leaves.

In the wild

Grows along rocky riverbanks and in riverbeds across West Africa, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Togo. It is a semi-aquatic rheophyte that does most of its growing emersed or only partially submersed in flowing water, gripping rock with its creeping rhizome.

Good to know

An Araceae first noted by Auguste Chevalier in 1920 from Guinean material and formally described by John Hutchinson in 1939. It is one of the two largest species in the genus alongside Anubias heterophylla, with arrow-shaped leaf blades reaching about 30cm long and 14cm wide and lateral lobes that make the leaf look three-pointed. Petioles can be up to 2.5 times longer than the blade, and the creeping rhizome is 1 to 3cm thick.

Did you know

Did you know Anubias gigantea is grown commercially mostly above water, because submerged it tends to produce simple arrow leaves, while emersed culture coaxes out the dramatic triple-lobed blades that can reach about 30cm long with prominent side lobes.