TankBud

Cryptocoryne walkeri

Also known as Cryptocoryne 'Sri Lanka'

FreshwaterRosetteRunnersRhizome division

Cryptocoryne walkeri (Cryptocoryne walkeri)
Hannob · CC0

Care at a glance

Light
Low light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
72–82°F
22–28°C
Max height
9.8 in
25 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Midground
Type
Rosette
pH
6.0–7.5
Hardness
2–15 dGH
Spread
7.9 in (20 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root feeder
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Araceae
Origin
Sri Lanka

Overview

A reliable beginner midground crypt for low light with no CO2 required, though CO2 and richer dosing tighten and speed up growth. Feed through the roots with tabs or nutrient substrate and plant the crown just clear of the soil. It is slow to settle and may take several months before it starts throwing daughter plants on runners, so be patient and avoid replanting, which can set off crypt melt. Its more rigid, upright habit makes it useful as a structural midground accent rather than a low carpet.

In the wild

Cryptocoryne walkeri grows in slow streams, rivers and marshes in Sri Lanka, living emersed along the banks and submersed when water rises. Unlike the bushy wendtii types it tends toward a more upright, rigid rosette of green to olive lance-shaped leaves. The form long sold as 'Lutea' is a slightly smaller, sturdier selection of the same species.

Good to know

The accepted name is Cryptocoryne walkeri Schott, and Kew treats it as a fairly broad species that absorbs several former names. Cryptocoryne lutea is now considered a synonym, along with infraspecific names such as var. legroi and var. lutea. As an aroid it reproduces in the wild through a hooded spathe rather than a true flower.

Did you know

Did you know the familiar 'Lutea' you see in shops is just C. walkeri under an old name? It was once thought to be a separate species, Cryptocoryne lutea, but it is now folded into the broader and rather variable C. walkeri.

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