Aridarum Narrow

Aridarum sp. 'Narrow'

Also known as Aridarum sp. 'Long Leaf', Burttianthus veluntandrus, Aridarum velutandrum

FreshwaterRhizomeRhizome division

Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 72–82°F; 22–28°C
Max height: 5.9 in; 15 cm

Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Epiphyte
Type: Rhizome
pH: 6.0–7.5
Spread: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Medium
Family: Araceae
Origin: Borneo (probably Sarawak, near Bintulu)

Overview

Glue or tie Aridarum Narrow to rock or wood, with the rhizome in open water. Low to medium light suits it, and CO2 helps a plant that grows very slowly. Keep water chemistry and light steady, since sudden changes can start melt and rot. Buce Plant, Glass Aqua and PremiumBuces sell it for aquariums, but Jungle Leaves warns that it declines when kept fully underwater for long. A plant that keeps melting may do better in a humid paludarium or on a drip wall. Cut the rhizome into pieces and fix each one to hardscape to propagate it.

In the wild

Aridarum Narrow comes from Borneo, and the German nursery Jungle Leaves traces its plants to the Bintulu area of Sarawak. The species it probably belongs to, Burttianthus veluntandrus, is known wild only from Similajau National Park near Bintulu. That species grows on very hard sandstone along the Sungai Anchau, under humid lowland forest at 30 to 60 m. Jungle Leaves says the wild plants sit above water for most of the year.

Good to know

Aridarum Narrow is a Bornean aroid in the family Araceae, sold under a trade name with no confirmed species. Its probable identity is Burttianthus veluntandrus, the name Jungle Leaves sells it under. Wong, Low and Boyce described that species from Sarawak in 2014 as Aridarum velutandrum, and a 2018 revision moved it to Burttianthus. The dark green leaves are linear, up to about 15 cm long and 5 to 8 mm wide, on reddish stalks. Sabertooth and White Fang, sold as Aridarum caulescens, have much wider blades.