Cryptocoryne wendtii

Also known as Crypt wendtii, Wendt's water trumpet

FreshwaterBrackishRosetteRunners

Cryptocoryne wendtii (Cryptocoryne wendtii) — Haplochromis · CC BY 2.5

Care at a glance

Light: Low light
CO2: No CO₂ needed
Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Midground
Type: Rosette
Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 6.0–7.5
Hardness: 3–12 dGH
Max height: 9.8 in (25 cm)
Spread: 7.9 in (20 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Beginner
Origin: Sri Lanka
Family: Araceae

Overview

A bulletproof low-light midground rosette and one of the best beginner crypts. Plant individual rosettes in rich substrate with the crown above the soil and use root tabs, since it feeds from both roots and water column. CO2 is not needed, but stable parameters are: nearly every newly planted crypt goes through 'crypt melt' where old leaves turn to mush, so do not pull the plant, just trim the slime and wait two to four weeks for new tank-adapted leaves. Avoid sudden swings in water chemistry, which is the usual trigger for melt.

In the wild

Endemic to Sri Lanka, where it grows along shaded freshwater streams and rivers under the forest canopy. It lives an amphibious life, submersed when water is high and emersed along the banks when levels drop, which is why it tolerates such a wide range of tank conditions.

Good to know

A water trumpet in the arum family (Araceae), so its 'flower' is a spathe and spadix like a peace lily rather than a true bloom. It grows as a rosette from a crown and spreads by underground runners that send up new plants nearby. Leaf color and shape are highly plastic, ranging from green to brown, bronze, olive, or red depending on the cultivar, light, and water chemistry, which has produced many trade varieties (Green, Brown, Red, Tropica, Mi Oya).

Did you know

Cryptocoryne wendtii is famous for crypt melt: move it or change its conditions and it can drop nearly every leaf, then regrow from the rooted crown within a few weeks. The roots survive the meltdown, so a plant that looks dead is almost always just resetting.