Borneo, Indonesia (cultivar of a wild-collected Bucephalandra)
Overview
Bucephalandra Mini Coin is a dwarf Buce for nano tanks, foreground rockwork and tight detail spots. It is an easy plant, though a very slow one.
Did you know
Mini Coin is often ranked as the smallest Bucephalandra in the trade, with leaves that stay under half an inch. A small clump can carpet a rock the way a moss would, rather than towering over it.
Caring for Bucephalandra Mini Coin
Glue or tie the rhizome to rock or wood and leave it exposed. Burying the rhizome causes rot.
Bucephalandra Mini Coin tolerates low light and needs no CO2. Added CO2 mainly tightens the leaves and speeds recovery. Since it feeds from the water column as well as its roots, a liquid fertilizer does more for it than root tabs.
Its growth is very slow, and patience and stable water are its real requirements. Keep the temperature at 70 to 82°F (21 to 28°C). It rarely needs trimming, and you can divide the rhizome into pieces to make new clumps.
Good to know
Mini Coin is a dwarf trade form within Bucephalandra, an arum-family genus (Araceae). It grows from a short creeping rhizome that sends up small coin-shaped leaves. Like the rest of the genus, its cultivar name is horticultural rather than a formal botanical taxon. Grown emersed, it produces the aroid spathe-and-spadix inflorescence despite its tiny size.
In the wild
Bucephalandra Mini Coin descends from rheophytic plants of Borneo that cling to rock and wood in fast streams. They sit submerged in the wet season and emerge to flower when the water drops. Mini Coin is one of the most compact forms selected from these wild populations.
Common questions
Does Bucephalandra Mini Coin need to be planted in the substrate?
No. Bucephalandra Mini Coin 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 Mini Coin need CO2?
No, but it helps. Bucephalandra Mini Coin can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Bucephalandra Mini Coin need?
Bucephalandra Mini Coin is a low-light plant, and the light that comes with a standard tank kit is enough for it.
Does Bucephalandra Mini Coin need root tabs?
No. Bucephalandra Mini Coin 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 Mini Coin?
Bucephalandra Mini Coin propagates by rhizome division. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.
How tall does Bucephalandra Mini Coin grow?
Bucephalandra Mini Coin grows to about 1.6 in (4 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.
Low lightEpiphyte2.4 in (6 cm)
Low lightEpiphyte2.4 in (6 cm)
Low lightEpiphyte3.9 in (10 cm)