Bucephalandra Kedagang Long is an easy, slow-growing epiphyte for detail work on wood and rock. Its long, wavy leaves add movement to the hardscape.
Did you know
Kedagang is a place, not a plant. The name covers several forms collected around one Bornean locality, and shops tell them apart by leaf outline alone, as Round, Mini and Long.
Caring for Bucephalandra Kedagang Long
Glue or tie the rhizome to rock or wood, and keep it out of the substrate. A buried rhizome rots.
Bucephalandra Kedagang Long is content under low light without CO2. CO2 and regular liquid fertilizer speed up its slow leaf count and improve its color. It takes up nutrients from the water as well as through its roots, so liquid dosing does more than root tabs.
Growth is slow, and trimming is rarely needed. Propagate it by cutting the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each.
Keep the water stable at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C), since swings in temperature or pH can melt leaves. Strong light on such slow growth invites algae.
Good to know
Bucephalandra Kedagang Long belongs to Bucephalandra, a Bornean genus in the family Araceae, tribe Schismatoglottideae. Its trade names track collection sites rather than formal taxonomy. The Long form carries noticeably longer, narrower leaves with wavy margins in plain green, with the fine pale dots typical of the genus. It trades the dark blue shimmer of the classic Kedagang for length and movement, and its metallic sheen is weaker.
In the wild
Bucephalandra Kedagang Long is a trade form in the Kedagang group, named for a collection area in Kalimantan on Borneo. Like the rest of the genus, its parent plants are rheophytes anchored to rocks and wood in fast, clean forest streams. They grow emersed on the banks in the dry season and fully submersed when the rivers rise.
Common questions
Does Bucephalandra Kedagang Long need to be planted in the substrate?
No. Bucephalandra Kedagang Long 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 Kedagang Long need CO2?
No, but it helps. Bucephalandra Kedagang Long can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Bucephalandra Kedagang Long need?
Bucephalandra Kedagang Long is a low-light plant, and the light that comes with a standard tank kit is enough for it.
Does Bucephalandra Kedagang Long need root tabs?
No. Bucephalandra Kedagang Long 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 Kedagang Long?
Bucephalandra Kedagang Long propagates by rhizome division. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.
How tall does Bucephalandra Kedagang Long grow?
Bucephalandra Kedagang Long grows to about 5.9 in (15 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)