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Form of Bucephalandra sp.

Bucephalandra Apple Leaf

Bucephalandra sp. 'Apple Leaf'

One of 17 forms of Bucephalandra sp. · See all forms →

Also known as Buce Apple Leaf, Bucephalandra sp. Apple Leaf

FreshwaterRhizomeRhizome division

Forms · Bucephalandra sp.

See all 17 →

Care at a glance

Light
Low light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
70–82°F
21–28°C
Max height
3.9 in
10 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Epiphyte
Type
Rhizome
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
4–12 dGH
Spread
3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Araceae
Origin
Borneo (Indonesia)

Overview

This form has small rounded leaves roughly 1.5 cm long, a softer look than the narrow-leaved buces, with a slightly speckled surface that pops under quality LEDs. New leaves come in lighter and darken with age. It is one of the more durable and forgiving buces, happy attached to rock or wood in low to medium light without CO2, provided the rhizome stays uncovered.

In the wild

'Apple Leaf' is a Bucephalandra trade form from Borneo, where the genus grows as an obligate rheophyte on rocks in shaded, fast-moving streams. It spreads over hardscape on a creeping rhizome and stays small, suited to the shaded niches it occupies in the wild.

Good to know

Apple Leaf is an undescribed cultivar named for its leaf shape rather than a formal species, so it keeps its trade name. Bucephalandra is an aroid genus (Araceae) endemic to Borneo, and its members are very small to medium rheophytes that ripen berries inside a persistent, funnel-shaped lower spathe which acts as a splash cup, ejecting seeds onto nearby rock when water droplets strike it.

Did you know

Despite the name, Apple Leaf is not related to apples at all. It is an aroid, a distant cousin of peace lilies and philodendrons, and the 'apple' refers only to its rounded leaf outline.

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