Bucephalandra 'Achilles' Care Guide
Bucephalandra sp. 'Achilles' is a hardy Borneo rheophyte grown as an epiphyte on hardscape, with broad leaves and a bronze flush on new growth.
Overview
Bucephalandra sp. 'Achilles' is a cultivar of the genus Bucephalandra, a group of aquatic plants endemic to the island of Borneo. In nature these are rheophytic herbs that grow as dense mats over stones and rocks in streams and rivers of moist tropical forest, where seasonal water levels expose them to both submersed and emersed conditions. 'Achilles' is a robust selection valued for its broad lance-shaped leaves and the bronze tint that appears on new growth.
Taxonomy
- Family: Araceae
- Order: Alismatales
- Genus: Bucephalandra
- Scientific name: Bucephalandra sp. 'Achilles'
Habitat
All described Bucephalandra species have been recorded only from Borneo. They occur along fast-moving streams, anchored to rocks by creeping, rooting stems, and tolerate seasonal flooding and exposure. This rheophytic origin explains why the plant is grown in the aquarium as an epiphyte attached to hardscape rather than rooted in the substrate.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 22-28 °C (72-82 °F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 3-12 °dGH
- Lighting: low to medium
- CO2: not required
- Growth rate: slow
- Maximum height: about 12 cm
- Placement: epiphyte on rock or driftwood
Planting and care
Like other epiphytes, Bucephalandra attaches to hardscape with holdfast roots and should not be planted in substrate, because burying the rhizome causes it to rot. The plant can be wedged between rocks, tied with thread, or fixed with cyanoacrylate gel onto stone or wood. It grows well under low lighting; medium light with supplemental CO2 and nutrients improves coloration and speeds growth, while strong light over a slow-growing plant can encourage algae. After transition from emersed nursery culture, leaves may melt, but new shoots develop from a healthy rhizome.
Propagation
Propagation is by rhizome division. The rhizome is cut with clean, sharp scissors, preferably at natural bends where separate leaf clumps form; each division should retain enough length to carry new growth, and bare rhizome segments will produce new leaves if healthy. New pieces are then attached to rock or driftwood.