Cryptocoryne pygmaea

Also known as Cryptocoryne palawanensis, Dwarf crypt, Pygmy crypt

FreshwaterRosetteRunnersRhizome division

Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 72–82°F; 22–28°C
Max height: 7.9 in; 20 cm

Growth rate: Slow
Placement: Midground
Type: Rosette
pH: 5.5–8.0
Hardness: 3–18 dGH
Spread: 4.7 in (12 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Easy
Family: Araceae
Origin: Philippines (Palawan, Busuanga, western Mindanao)

Overview

An easy, undemanding crypt suited to beginners, tolerating a wide range from soft to quite hard water. Despite the name it does not stay small, so give it room as a midground or specimen plant. Use a nutrient-rich substrate, low to moderate light, and stable parameters, and it will slowly spread by runners and daughter plants. CO2 is not required but helps it establish.

In the wild

Endemic to the Philippines, on the islands of Palawan and Busuanga and in western Mindanao. It populates rivers and rivulets, often in hard water, growing emersed as well as submersed and sometimes in deeper water.

Good to know

Described by Elmer Drew Merrill as Cryptocoryne pygmaea. Much of the plant sold under this name in the hobby is now considered to be Cryptocoryne palawanensis, a closely related Philippine species. Despite the 'pygmaea' epithet, it is not a true dwarf and can reach a medium size in a well-run tank.

Did you know

Its name promises a tiny plant, but in good conditions it grows into a medium-sized crypt, and the plant most hobbyists buy as 'pygmaea' is actually its Philippine cousin Cryptocoryne palawanensis.