Cryptocoryne keei

Also known as Crypt keei

FreshwaterRosetteRunnersRhizome division

Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 72–84°F; 22–29°C
Max height: 5.9 in; 15 cm

Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Midground
Type: Rosette
pH: 5.0–7.5
Hardness: 2–12 dGH
Spread: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Medium
Family: Araceae
Origin: Borneo (western Sarawak, Malaysia)

Overview

Cryptocoryne keei is one of the easier of the rarer Bornean crypts, a plant of medium difficulty for the midground. It is unusual among the bullate-leaved species in coping with an ordinary tank.

Did you know

Cryptocoryne keei is straightforward to grow submersed, but getting it to flower proved very difficult. Years passed between its discovery and the first cultivated spathe. That spathe finally appeared in an emersed pot rather than underwater.

Caring for Cryptocoryne keei

Plant Cryptocoryne keei in a nutrient-rich substrate in the midground, then leave it alone. Crypts resent being moved and can melt after replanting or a sharp change in water conditions.

Give it low light. Growth is slow, so keep the light modest enough that algae does not colonize the older leaves. It grows without injected CO2, but CO2 helps the slow, steady output of new leaves. It takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves, so pair root tabs with a liquid fertilizer.

It suits 72 to 84°F (22 to 29°C) and a pH of 5 to 7.5. It spreads by runners, and an established clump can be split at the rhizome.

Good to know

Cryptocoryne keei is a water trumpet in the family Araceae, described by the Cryptocoryne specialist Niels Jacobsen. It is named for Henry Ong Kee Chuan, the Sarawak collector and plant trader who discovered it around 1978. The dark green leaves are strongly bullate, with a puckered surface comparable to C. bullosa and C. hudoroi. Submersed plants develop bright brown spotting.

In the wild

Cryptocoryne keei comes from a small area of western Sarawak on Borneo, where it was found in rivulets near Bau, west of Kuching. It grows submersed in the streams and emersed along the banks, switching between the two forms with the water level like most of the genus.

Common questions

Does Cryptocoryne keei 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 keei need CO2?

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

How much light does Cryptocoryne keei need?

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

Does Cryptocoryne keei need root tabs?

They help. Cryptocoryne keei 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 keei?

Cryptocoryne keei propagates by runners and rhizome division. New plants grow along its runners. Cut one free once it has roots and plant it. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.