Aquatic Plant Encyclopedia

The type variety of Anubias barteri, with broad, thick, leathery leaves. It grows larger than var. nana and even young plants can be told apart by their longer petioles. Tough enough to survive herbivorous fish and dim tanks.

An Anubias whose leaf blades bulge strongly between the veins, like coffee leaves. New leaves emerge orange- to red-brown and turn dark green. It often flowers under water.

A dwarf selection of Anubias nana. At about 5 cm tall its small leaves pack tightly into a compact, bonsai-like mound, suitable for stones and wood even in tanks of around 10 litres.

A selection of Anubias nana whose new leaves emerge light green to golden yellow, clearly unlike the dark green standard form. Leaves darken in weak light. It traces back to a mutant found at a Taiwanese nursery.

A nana selection with some of the smallest leaves of any Anubias. Narrow dark green leaves overlap like the scales of a pangolin. Selected from 'Bonsai' stock, it suits the hardscape of nano tanks.

An even smaller variety of Anubias Nana. Tiny densely packed leaves, ideal for nano tanks.

A Bornean Bucephalandra with narrow, strongly wavy dark leaves sprinkled with silvery dots, wine-red rhizomes and young petioles, and a blue metallic sheen underwater. Relatively vigorous for a Buce.

A traded Bucephalandra with dense obovate, round-tipped leaves. Submerged leaves are red-brown to purple with a bluish sheen and silvery stomatal dots. It branches into a low, compact clump.

An aquatic moss whose sparsely branched shoots twist upward like rising flames. It spreads little sideways, so it is attached to the tops of wood or stones to add height.

A fern aquatic plant from Southeast Asia. Attaches to driftwood and rocks, popular for its unique leaf shape.

A narrow-leaved form of Java fern. Its long leaves, about 1–2 cm wide, spread from the rhizome at a wider angle than the standard plant. Compact and easy to tie onto wood or stone, though differently shaped plants are sold under the same name.

A full, fairly bright green aquatic moss whose branches spread in neat triangles. Despite the name there is no evidence it comes from South America. It grows in low light without CO2 and is tied onto wood or stone.

An aquatic moss with bright green, teardrop-shaped shoots that hang downward. Draped from branches of wood it adds depth and shadow to a layout. Undemanding and fairly quick-growing.