Cryptocoryne petchii
Cryptocoryne beckettii 'Petchii'
Also known as Cryptocoryne petchii, Crypt Petchii, Cryptocoryne beckettii var. petchii, Cryptocoryne x beckettii-petchii
Care at a glance
- Light
- Medium light
- CO2
- No CO₂ needed
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Placement
- Midground
- Type
- Rosette
- Temperature
- 72–82°F (22–28°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Hardness
- 4–18 dGH
- Max height
- 5.9 in (15 cm)
- Spread
- 5.9 in (15 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Root + water column
- Growth region
- Submersed or emersed
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Origin
- Sri Lanka (Cryptocoryne beckettii is endemic to Sri Lanka)
- Family
- Araceae
Overview
A compact, slow-growing midground crypt that forms tidy clusters over time and stays smaller than most wendtii forms. It is undemanding, needs no CO2, and does fine under medium light with root tabs in the substrate. Expect the usual crypt melt after planting or a big parameter change, followed by full recovery once conditions stabilize, so avoid moving it around.
In the wild
Petchii is a small form associated with Cryptocoryne beckettii, a species endemic to the shaded streams and riverbanks of Sri Lanka. It grows in soft, slightly acidic to neutral water among leaf litter and roots, spreading slowly by runners. Like other crypts it lives submersed underwater or emersed on damp margins depending on the season.
Good to know
The accepted parent name is Cryptocoryne beckettii Thwaites ex Trimen in the arum family Araceae, with 'Petchii' treated as a small brown-green form or hybrid within this complex. Its ruffled leaves shift between green and reddish-brown depending on light intensity. Cryptocoryne beckettii is one of the Sri Lankan species long confused with Cryptocoryne wendtii, which shares its island range and similar leaf forms.
Did you know
Did you know the same Petchii plant can look bright green or coppery brown in the same tank. Higher light pushes red-brown pigment while shaded leaves stay green, so a single clump often shows two colors at once depending on which leaves catch the most light.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- Glass Aqua Aquascaping plants and planted tank supplies
- Buce Plant Aquatic plants and aquascaping supplies
- Aquarium Plants Factory Aquatic plants shipped from a California greenhouse
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
No-CO2 plants · Midground plants · Cryptocoryne · Beginner plants
Growing Cryptocoryne petchii?
Track your planted tank, set reminders and plan your layout.
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