Cryptocoryne wendtii brown

Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Brown'

Also known as Crypt wendtii brown, Cryptocoryne wendtii bronze

FreshwaterBrackishRosetteRunners

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: 7.9 in (20 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

Treat it exactly like any other C. wendtii: a tough low-light midground rosette grown for its warm brown to bronze leaves. Plant individual rosettes in rich substrate, keep the crown above the soil, and add root tabs. It needs no CO2 and tolerates a wide range of water, but expect crypt melt after planting and resist the urge to dig it up while it regrows. Stronger (but still moderate) light deepens the brown coloring, while very low light pushes the leaves toward greenish-brown.

In the wild

A cultivated color form of Cryptocoryne wendtii, which is endemic to Sri Lanka and grows along shaded streams under the forest canopy. Like the parent species it is amphibious, living submersed when water is high and emersed on the banks during dry spells.

Good to know

A trade-selected brown form of C. wendtii, a water trumpet in the family Araceae. Botanically it is the same species as plain wendtii, just a color variety, and it shares the same arum-style spathe flower, rosette growth, and spread by underground runners. Its brownish-bronze leaf color is partly genetic and partly a response to light, so the same plant can look greener in low light and richer chocolate-brown under stronger light.

Did you know

The 'Brown' label describes color, not a different plant. It is the same species as green wendtii, and its leaves shift between greenish-brown and rich chocolate depending on how much light it gets, so two tanks can grow the identical plant in noticeably different shades.