Anubias stardust

Care at a glance

Overview

A tiny, delicate variegated nana, best mounted on wood or rock in the midground or foreground with the rhizome left clear of substrate. Leaves are only about 1.5 to 2 cm long, so it suits nano tanks; give it moderate light to bring out the speckling without triggering algae on its very slow leaves. It needs no CO2 but responds well to a little, plus gentle water column ferts. Being small and variegated it is more fragile than plain nana, so keep flow gentle and remove any melting or fully white leaves promptly.

In the wild

A recent variegated cultivar with no wild form. The parent dwarf Anubias barteri var. nana is native to West Africa, growing epiphytically on wood and stone along shaded, gently flowing streams.

Good to know

One of the newest variegated selections of Anubias barteri var. nana, family Araceae. Its small leaves show white veins and a pale petiole with star-like white speckles scattered over a green base, hence 'Stardust.' The white marking comes from chlorophyll-free tissue, so as with other variegated Anubias the amount of white shifts with lighting and overall plant vigor.

Did you know

It is one of the smallest Anubias in the trade, with leaves around the size of a thumbnail, and the proportion of white starry speckles can wax and wane depending on how much light the plant receives.

Related plants

• Anubias golden nana

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Golden'

  Low lightMidground3.9 in (10 cm)
• Anubias pinto

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Pinto'

  Medium lightMidground3.9 in (10 cm)

• 

  Anubias petite

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'

  Low lightEpiphyte2 in (5 cm)
• Anubias Chili

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Chili'

  Low lightEpiphyte2 in (5 cm)

• 

  Anubias lanceolata

  Anubias lanceolata

  Low lightMidground13.8 in (35 cm)
• Anubias Snow White

  Anubias barteri var. nana 'Snow White'

  Medium lightEpiphyte3.9 in (10 cm)