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Form of Bucephalandra sp.

Bucephalandra Brownie Blue

Bucephalandra sp. 'Brownie Blue'

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

Also known as Buce Brownie Blue, Bucephalandra 'Brownie Blue'

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
3.1 in
8 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Epiphyte
Type
Rhizome
pH
6.0–8.0
Hardness
2–15 dGH
Spread
3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Araceae
Origin
Borneo, Indonesia (cultivar of a wild-collected Bucephalandra)

Overview

Treat it 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, though injected CO2 and stable water speed up its already slow growth and bring out the blue-green iridescent sheen on adapted submerged leaves. It can sulk and drop older leaves after a move, so give it time and avoid sudden parameter swings.

In the wild

Bucephalandra are rheophytes native to Borneo, where they grow attached to rocks and wood along fast-moving forest streams. During the wet season they sit fully submerged, and in the dry season they emerge to flower above the waterline. Brownie Blue is one of many named trade forms selected from these wild populations.

Good to know

The genus Bucephalandra belongs to the arum family (Araceae), the same family as Anubias and Cryptocoryne, and its name refers to the bull-head shape of the spadix. 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 (spathe and spadix) when grown emersed.

Did you know

The prized blue shimmer is structural color, not pigment. Microscopic cell structures in the leaf surface scatter light, so the same leaf can look plain brown or vivid blue depending on the angle and lighting.

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