Aponogeton Crispus (Aponogeton crispus) Care Guide
A graceful bulb plant with long narrow leaves featuring distinctively crinkled wavy edges that sway beautifully in the current.
Overview
Aponogeton crispus is an aquatic plant in the family Aponogetonaceae. A graceful bulb plant with long narrow leaves featuring distinctively crinkled wavy edges that sway beautifully in the current. Easier to maintain than most Aponogeton species and less prone to dormancy in aquarium conditions.
Taxonomy
- Family: Aponogetonaceae
- Genus: Aponogeton
- Scientific name: Aponogeton crispus
- Other names: Ruffled Sword Plant
Habitat
Native to Sri Lanka, where it inhabits ponds, ditches and slow streams. Develops a perennial bulb and produces a long flowering spike that emerges above the water surface; less prone to enforced dormancy than most other Aponogeton species in aquarium conditions.
Growth requirements
- Light: medium (≈50-80 PAR at substrate)
- CO2: optional (CO2 improves growth and coloration)
- Temperature: 22-28 °C
- pH: 6.5-7.5
- GH: 3-12 °dGH
- Substrate: nutrient-rich aquasoil or fertilised gravel
- Nutrient demand: low
- Growth rate: medium
- Difficulty: intermediate
Placement
- Recommended placement: midground
- Maximum height: 40 cm
- Trim every: 14 days
Propagation
In cultivation the plant is propagated by vegetative division or fragmentation.