Borneo, Indonesia (cultivar of a wild-collected Bucephalandra)
Overview
Bucephalandra Brownie Blue is a slow-growing Buce whose leaves can shimmer blue. It is easy to keep on rock or driftwood.
Did you know
The blue shimmer on Brownie Blue is structural color, not pigment. Microscopic cell structures in the leaf surface scatter light. The same leaf can look plain brown or vivid blue depending on the angle and lighting.
Caring for Bucephalandra Brownie Blue
Treat Brownie Blue like Anubias. Glue or tie the rhizome to rock or driftwood, and never bury the rhizome or it will rot.
It does fine under low light without CO2. Injected CO2 and stable water speed up its slow growth and bring out the blue-green sheen on adapted submerged leaves. It takes nutrients through its roots and from the water, so a liquid fertilizer suits it. Keep it at 70 to 82°F (21 to 28°C) with a pH of 6 to 8.
It can sulk and drop older leaves after a move, so give it time and avoid sudden swings in water conditions. Divide the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each to make new plants.
Good to know
Brownie Blue belongs to Bucephalandra, which shares the arum family, Araceae, with Anubias and Cryptocoryne. The genus name refers to the bull-head shape of the spadix. Its taxonomy is unsettled, with only a few dozen described species but hundreds of commercial cultivar names. It grows from a creeping rhizome and produces a true aroid inflorescence, a spathe and spadix.
In the wild
Brownie Blue is one of many named trade forms selected from wild Bucephalandra on Borneo. The genus grows as rheophytes, attached to rocks and wood along fast-moving forest streams. The plants sit fully submerged in the wet season and emerge to flower above the waterline in the dry season.
Common questions
Does Bucephalandra Brownie Blue need to be planted in the substrate?
No. Bucephalandra Brownie Blue grows attached to rock or wood, so tie or glue the rhizome in place. If you plant its roots, keep the rhizome above the substrate, since a buried rhizome rots.
Does Bucephalandra Brownie Blue need CO2?
No, but it helps. Bucephalandra Brownie Blue can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Bucephalandra Brownie Blue need?
Bucephalandra Brownie Blue is a low-light plant, and the light that comes with a standard tank kit is enough for it.
Does Bucephalandra Brownie Blue need root tabs?
No. Bucephalandra Brownie Blue feeds from the water, so a liquid fertilizer suits it better. Root tabs only help if its roots reach into the substrate.
How do you propagate Bucephalandra Brownie Blue?
Bucephalandra Brownie Blue propagates by rhizome division. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.
How tall does Bucephalandra Brownie Blue grow?
Bucephalandra Brownie Blue grows to about 3.1 in (8 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.
Low lightEpiphyte3.9 in (10 cm)
Low lightEpiphyte2.4 in (6 cm)
Low lightEpiphyte2.4 in (6 cm)