Cultivated form (nursery selection, no wild range)
Overview
Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy reaches about 8 cm, the size of Green Wavy. It fits the midground of most tanks or the foreground of a large one, and it is easy to keep.
Did you know
Glass Aqua says Dark Green Wavy and Green Wavy differ only in color. Mounted side by side on one stone, the pair shows the same rippled leaf in bright green and in blackish green.
Caring for Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy
Glue or tie the rhizome to rock or wood and keep it uncovered. Dark Green Wavy creeps sideways and widens across its mount over time. Give it steady flow.
Its dark green does not rely on a sheen that needs strong light, so it holds its color in shade. Use it under overhangs and in dim corners of the hardscape. CO2 is optional but speeds up growth, and it takes nutrients through its roots and from the water. Keep it at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C).
It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming. Divide the rhizome, or cut off a side shoot once it has a few leaves and tie it down on its own.
Good to know
Dark Green Wavy is a Bucephalandra trade form in the arum family, Araceae. Its leaves are obovate with a rippled margin, in a deep, almost blackish green on red stalks. It shows little of the metallic sheen that many Buce develop under water.
In the wild
Dark Green Wavy is known only from cultivation, and all three shops that sell it call it a darker mutation of Green Wavy. Green Wavy traces back to West Kalimantan on Borneo, where Bucephalandra grip rocks in fast forest streams. High water covers them in the wet season, and low water leaves them exposed on wet banks.
Common questions
Does Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy need to be planted in the substrate?
No. Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy 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 Dark Green Wavy need CO2?
No, but it helps. Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy need?
Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy is a low-light plant, and the light that comes with a standard tank kit is enough for it.
Does Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy need root tabs?
No. Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy 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 Dark Green Wavy?
Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy propagates by rhizome division and side shoots. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and tie it down on its own.
How tall does Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy grow?
Bucephalandra Dark Green Wavy 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)