Cryptocoryne willisii

Care at a glance

Overview

One of the more forgiving crypts and a good beginner carpet or foreground plant, growing to roughly 5 to 15 cm. It does fine in low light with no CO2, though a nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs and a little CO2 speed it up. Like all crypts it may melt back after planting, so leave it undisturbed and let the roots push out fresh growth.

In the wild

This is a complex of natural hybrids from riverbanks in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, formed between Cryptocoryne parva and other Sri Lankan species such as C. beckettii and C. walkeri. In the wild it grows both submersed and emersed along flowing streams. Over time it spreads by runners into a dense low group or lawn.

Good to know

The accepted botanical name is Cryptocoryne × willisii, spelled with the hybrid cross because it is a natural hybrid rather than a true species. The old name Cryptocoryne willisii Baum is an illegitimate homonym, and the trade names 'nevillii' and 'lucens' both fall inside this hybrid complex. It was long confused with the much smaller Cryptocoryne parva, and the name C. nevillii was once applied to both before they were separated.

Did you know

Did you know this plant is not a single species at all but a swarm of natural hybrids, which is why aquarium 'willisii', 'nevillii' and 'lucens' can look noticeably different from one another even though they carry the same name.

Related plants

• 

  Cryptocoryne parva

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• 

  Cryptocoryne wendtii red

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  Cryptocoryne wendtii Tropica

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• 

  Cryptocoryne albida

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