Brown Wendtii

Brown Wendtii is the brown leaved form of Cryptocoryne wendtii, a rosette plant from Sri Lanka and one of the most forgiving crypts in the hobby. Leaf colour and shape in this species shift with light and water, so the same plant can look quite different in two tanks. It settles into the midground, or into the foreground of a larger tank when planted as a group.

Light is listed from low to high, which is the main reason the plant turns up in tanks with modest lighting. The optimum is 22 to 26 °C inside a tolerance of 15 to 30, pH runs 5 to 8 and carbonate hardness 1 to 18 dKH. Added CO₂ can improve growth. Growth is moderate.

An established plant spreads by runners and fills a patch on its own. It can also be divided at the rhizome, split, or have rooted daughter plants cut away and replanted. It grows emersed too, which is how most nursery stock is 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.