Flamingo

'Flamingo' is the pink Cryptocoryne, a cultivated form of Cryptocoryne wendtii whose wild type grows in Sri Lanka. It is grown for its colour, which is pink rather than the green or brown of the other forms of the species. Shop labels also carry the names Cryptocoryne sp. 'Flamingo' and C. spec. 'Flamingo', and it is catalogued as the flamingo water trumpet.

The published care data is friendlier than the plant's reputation. It is rated easy and slow growing, with light listed from low to high, an optimum of 22 to 26 °C inside a tolerance of 15 to 30, pH 5 to 8, carbonate hardness 1 to 18 dKH. Added CO₂ can support growth. Established plants spread by runners; they can also be divided at the rhizome, split, or have rooted daughter plants cut away. Like the rest of the genus it grows emersed, which is how nursery plants are raised.

Bury the roots while keeping the crown exposed. Nursery leaves may deteriorate during the transition underwater; leave healthy roots in place, remove decaying leaves and watch for new growth before discarding the plant.