Cryptocoryne affinis Metallic Red

Care at a glance

Overview

Grow it like Cryptocoryne affinis: a midground group plant that spreads by underground runners into a dense stand. It tolerates low light and, unusually for a plant this colour, is happy in moderately hard water thanks to its limestone stream origins. Medium light and steady fertilisation bring out the red, and CO2 helps but is not required. Do not move it once planted; affinis is one of the crypts most prone to melting when conditions jump, so keep parameters stable and let it regrow from the roots if it does melt.

In the wild

A colour selection of Cryptocoryne affinis passed around in cultivation, not a wild population with its own locality. The species grows in Peninsular Malaysia, rooted in sand and gravel banks of quickly flowing, often limestone-fed streams, usually in deep shade, emersed on the margins and submersed in the channel.

Good to know

A form of Cryptocoryne affinis (family Araceae, synonym Cryptocoryne haerteliana) selected for leaves that mature from green into red-brown with a metallic sheen, lighter longitudinal veins and a wine red underside. The shine comes from the silky, textured leaf surface typical of affinis. It is a hobbyist selection with no formal cultivar registration.

Did you know

Cryptocoryne affinis grows over limestone in the wild, so this is one red plant that colours up happily in hard tap water where many red stems wash out.

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