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One species · 10 forms

Cryptocoryne wendtii varieties

Cryptocoryne wendtii

Cryptocoryne wendtii is a Sri Lankan crypt so variable that shops sell half a dozen colors of the one species. Leaf color and ruffle shift with the light over each plant, and the classic forms all share the same undemanding root-feeder care. Only the pale showpieces ask for more.

Pick a variety

one species, many colors

Classic forms · any low-tech tank

High-color forms · brighter light, steady feeding

What the high-color forms ask for

Classic formsHigh-color forms
LightLow lightMedium light
CO2No CO₂ neededCO₂ beneficial
Colorgreens, browns and redspink, copper and marbled

Same species, same roots. The pale and pink leaves simply carry less chlorophyll, so those lines grow slower and want brighter light and steady nutrients to hold their color. Flamingo is the slowest and touchiest of the three.

One species, many looks

Wild wendtii varies from stream to stream in Sri Lanka, and nurseries stabilized the best-looking populations into the named lines sold today. The same plant also changes with its tank: stronger light pulls the ruffle tighter and the color darker, so your green wendtii may not match the shop's, and both are normal.

Crypt melt is a phase

Move a crypt and it often drops every leaf within days. The roots stay alive, and new leaves suited to the new conditions follow within a few weeks. Plant it, resist the urge to dig it back up, and feed the substrate; wendtii forgives almost everything except constant replanting.

The pink forms play by harder rules

Florida Sunset, Sindoor and especially Flamingo carry so little green tissue that they run at half speed. They need brighter light than the classic forms, steady root feeding, and patience measured in months. Flamingo, a tissue-culture line famous for its bubblegum pink, is the slowest crypt most keepers will ever own.

Common questions

Why did my crypt melt when I planted it?

Transplant melt is normal for the whole genus. The roots survive; new leaves grown for your tank's conditions appear within weeks. Do not pull the plant out.

Do wendtii crypts need CO2?

The classic forms do not; root tabs help far more. The pink forms appreciate CO2, though they survive without it, just more slowly.

Which wendtii is best for a first planted tank?

Green, brown or red. They are equally tough; pick the color you like. Save Flamingo for when a slow, expensive plant will not test your patience.

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