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Bucephalandra Grappa Red

Bucephalandra sp. 'Grappa Red'

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

Also known as Bucephalandra sp. 'Red' 'Grappa', Bucephalandra Grappa Red Mini, Buce Grappa Red

FreshwaterRhizomeRhizome division

Forms · Bucephalandra sp.

See all 17 →

Care at a glance

Light
Low light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Epiphyte
Type
Rhizome
Temperature
72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–12 dGH
Max height
3.1 in (8 cm)
Spread
3.9 in (10 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Origin
Borneo
Family
Araceae

Overview

An epiphyte for hardscape detail work, small enough for nano tanks and the gaps between stones. Glue or thread the rhizome onto rock or wood and keep it out of the substrate, since a buried rhizome rots. It grows in low to medium light without CO2 and stays tidiest there; CO2 and regular liquid fertiliser deepen the red tones and add a few more of its slow new leaves. Because leaves come slowly, high light mostly feeds algae on the old ones, so err dimmer. Keep parameters stable, sudden swings in temperature or pH trigger melt in freshly imported pieces. Propagate by cutting the rhizome into sections and reattaching them.

In the wild

Grappa Red is a trade selection of Bucephalandra, not a wild species, and the name comes from the trade rather than a documented collection site. Its parents grow on Borneo as rheophytes, anchored to rock and wood in and beside fast-flowing forest streams, emersed on the banks in the dry season and fully submersed when the water rises. Farmed and tissue-culture material has largely replaced wild collection for forms like this one.

Good to know

A commercial cultivar name under the umbrella of Bucephalandra, family Araceae, tribe Schismatoglottideae; most trade forms are treated as selections of the variable Bucephalandra motleyana complex. Grappa Red is distinguished by short, slender, teardrop-shaped leaves on reddish petioles, and the foliage takes on a warm, coppery metallic sheen under stronger light. A smaller clone circulates as Grappa Red Mini and is what most shops actually stock.

Did you know

Unlike most Bucephalandra, where the show is in the leaf blade, Grappa Red carries much of its red in the stems: the petioles stay reddish even when the leaves read dark green, so it keeps some warmth even in a shaded low-tech tank.

Appears in

Low-light plants · Epiphytes · Beginner plants

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