TankBud

Schismatoglottis prietoi

Also known as Prieto's schismatoglottis, Schismatoglottis sp. Cebu, Dwarf schismatoglottis

FreshwaterRhizomeRunnersdivision

Care at a glance

Light
Low light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
68–82°F
20–28°C
Max height
3.1 in
8 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Foreground
Type
Rhizome
pH
6.5–7.5
Hardness
3–12 dGH
Spread
5.9 in (15 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Medium
Family
Araceae
Origin
Endemic to fast flowing lowland rivers on Cebu Island in the Philippines, where it roots in sandy and gravelly riverbeds.

Overview

Plant or attach the rhizome so it is not buried, and give it modest light, since it stays small and slow. It settles in slowly at first, then fills in a broad patch through runners, and CO2 speeds that along without being essential. Stable water helps it avoid the melt that many rheophyte aroids show after a move.

In the wild

This is a small collector aroid with green, oblong leaves that have gently wavy edges and pointed tips. In its home rivers it forms dense low stands by sending out runners, much like a miniature Cryptocoryne. Growing only a few centimeters tall, it makes a distinctive foreground or low midground clump.

Good to know

Described only in 2015, Schismatoglottis prietoi is the single member of its genus known to grow fully submerged for long stretches. It spreads clonally by stolons, in the same way many crypts do.

Did you know

It was named for its discoverer, Esquerion Prieto, and is the only Schismatoglottis known to truly live underwater rather than just on wet banks.

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