Cryptocoryne wendtii green

Care at a glance

Overview

This is a low light, beginner rosette plant that needs no CO2, though a nutrient rich substrate and root tabs speed it along. Plant the crown just above the substrate so the base does not rot, and let it spread on its own through short runners. Newly planted crypts often melt back to the roots after a move, so leave the rootstock in place and let fresh submerged leaves regrow.

In the wild

Cryptocoryne wendtii is one of Sri Lanka's most variable water trumpets, and the 'Green' form is the plain green selection with broad, slightly puckered leaves. In the wild it grows along shaded streams that swing between fully submerged in the wet season and emersed on damp banks when water drops. That flexibility is why it settles into almost any aquarium.

Good to know

Cryptocoryne carry their flowers inside a specialized sheath called a spathe rather than an open bloom, and species are often told apart by that structure. The wendtii complex is so variable in the wild that most aquarium forms are selected clones rather than distinct botanical varieties.

Did you know

The sudden leaf loss known as crypt melt is triggered by changes in water chemistry or light, but the rhizome usually survives and resprouts within a few weeks.

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