Anubias petite

Care at a glance

Overview

This is the smallest common Anubias and shines in nano tanks and foreground hardscape detail, glued or tied onto small stones, branches, or crevices. Keep the rhizome uncovered so it does not rot and let the roots grip the surface. It wants low light and no CO2, and grows very slowly, so be patient and keep it shaded to avoid algae on the tiny leaves. The biggest mistake is too much light, which it dislikes and which fouls the leaves with growth.

In the wild

Anubias 'Petite' does not exist in the wild. It is a dwarf cultivar of Anubias nana, which itself comes from shaded West African streams in Cameroon where the parent plant grows attached to rocks and wood. As a nursery selection it is grown emersed at the farm and adapts readily to submersed life in the aquarium.

Good to know

It is a man-made dwarf mutation of Anubias barteri var. nana, selected and propagated at the Oriental Aquarium nursery in Singapore. Botanically it is still an aroid (Araceae) with a creeping rhizome and tiny leaves often under 2 cm, branching to form dense little clumps. Being a fixed cultivar it is propagated only by dividing the rhizome, never from seed in the trade.

Did you know

Despite its delicate look, 'Petite' is one of the slowest-growing aquarium plants of all, often putting out just one new leaf every few weeks, which is exactly why aquascapers prize it for tight, controlled nano layouts that stay put for months.

Related plants

• Anubias Chili

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Chili'

  Low lightEpiphyte2 in (5 cm)
• Anubias Micro

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Micro'

  Low lightEpiphyte1.2 in (3 cm)
• Anubias Snow White

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Snow White'

  Medium lightEpiphyte3.9 in (10 cm)

• 

  Anubias nana

  Anubias barteri var. nana

  Low lightEpiphyte4.7 in (12 cm)
• Anubias Pangolino

  Anubias 'Pangolino'

  Low lightEpiphyte0.8 in (2 cm)

• 

  Anubias Butterfly

  Anubias 'Butterfly'

  Low lightEpiphyte5.9 in (15 cm)