Photo: Michael Linnenbach, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dwarf anubias
Anubias barteri var. nana (Engl.) Crusio
5–15 cm
Height in the aquarium
low to high
Light
low
CO₂ needs
22–26 °C
Ideal temperature
Water parameters
Understand these values- Position
- on hardscape, midground, foreground
- Propagation
- rhizome division, separating offshoots
- Uses
- cichlid-proof, nano tank
- Grows emersed
- yes
In the wild
Overview
A dwarf variety of Anubias barteri, an aroid from Central and West Africa. It comes from Cameroon, where it grows in shallow water in fast-flowing forest rivers, but its wild sites remain poorly known. The Danish nursery Tropica started growing it in 1970; it has become one of the most widespread aquarium plants in Europe, Asia and North America.
A creeping rhizome bears thick, dark green leaves that live for several years. It often flowers underwater, with the small inflorescence typical of aroids, and plant-eating fish leave it alone.
- Scientific name
- Anubias barteri var. nana (Engl.) Crusio
- Classification
- Alismatales › Araceae
Natural habitat
Cameroon: shallow water in fast-flowing forest rivers (Central Africa)
Observations (GBIF) and localities Native countries Rivers and lakes
- Native countries
Range of the species Anubias barteri according to Kew:
- Introduced by people
No introduction reported outside its native range.
Countries: Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP). Dots: GBIF observations in the native countries.
In the aquarium
Growing in the aquarium
Almost indestructible, to the point of being nicknamed “the plastic plant that grows”: it is as happy under very low light as under strong lighting, with or without CO2. Its rhizome must never be buried or it rots: tie it to a root or a stone with fishing line until its roots take hold.
Because it grows slowly, algae have time to settle on its old leaves; under strong light it is best placed in a shady corner. It is propagated by cutting the rhizome into two or more pieces. It goes in the foreground of a large tank or the midground of a nano tank.
Sources:Flowgrow Tropica GBIF POWO (Kew) · Base map: Natural Earth