TankBud

Cryptocoryne dewitii

Also known as Crypt dewitii

FreshwaterRosetteRunners

Care at a glance

Light
Low light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
Max height
5.9 in
15 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Midground
Type
Rosette
pH
6.0–7.5
Spread
5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Araceae
Origin
Papua New Guinea (Western Province, one site near Kiunga on the Fly River)

Overview

Cryptocoryne dewitii is a small, slow-growing rosette crypt for the midground. It is rated an easy plant, and it rarely needs trimming.

Did you know

Cryptocoryne dewitii is rated Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, from a 2021 assessment. The assessment counts one known location and a falling population, and it lists housing and mining as threats.

Caring for Cryptocoryne dewitii

Plant Cryptocoryne dewitii in a rich, acidic soil in the midground, with the crown just above the surface. Avoid moving it once it roots, since crypts often melt when disturbed. Stefan Reitel grew it at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) in soaked beech leaf mold and reverse osmosis water. He found it easiest to grow semi-emersed.

It gets by on little light and grows without injected CO2, though added CO2 makes it grow faster. It takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves, so root tabs and a liquid fertilizer cover it. Reitel knew of no aquarium trials by 2011. In 2013 Evers reported that it does well in aquariums and asks little.

Growth is slow. Reitel's plants flowered after about six months and made runners after about 11 months. Their blades reached 9 by 4 cm, with only light puckering. Cut a young plant free from a runner once it has roots.

Good to know

Cryptocoryne dewitii is an aroid, family Araceae, that Niels Jacobsen described in 1977 from three herbarium sheets. The name honors H. C. D. de Wit, who led Cryptocoryne research from the 1950s to the 1980s. Wild plants have green, puckered blades up to 9 by 5 cm, with an eared base and finely wavy edges. The upper part of the spathe limb is spirally twisted and often covered in small bumps.

In the wild

Cryptocoryne dewitii is known from a single marsh near Kiunga, on the middle Fly River in Papua New Guinea's Western Province. It grows beside peat swamps under sago palms, at about 70 m. Its roots sit in thick peat under a layer of fallen leaves. Paul Katik collected it in 1971, and Takashige Idei found it again in July 2009.

Common questions

Does Cryptocoryne dewitii need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Bury the roots and leave the crown, where the leaves join, just above the substrate.

Does Cryptocoryne dewitii need CO2?

No, but it helps. Cryptocoryne dewitii can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does Cryptocoryne dewitii need?

Cryptocoryne dewitii is a low-light plant, and the light that comes with a standard tank kit is enough for it.

Does Cryptocoryne dewitii need root tabs?

They help. Cryptocoryne dewitii takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.

How do you propagate Cryptocoryne dewitii?

Cryptocoryne dewitii propagates by runners. New plants grow along its runners. Cut one free once it has roots and plant it.

How tall does Cryptocoryne dewitii grow?

Cryptocoryne dewitii grows to about 5.9 in (15 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.

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