AQUATIC HORTICULTURE		BY KAREN RANDALL

KAREN RANDALL

More Anubias

This species is native to Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mali. I’m not entirely convinced that all of the plants offered commercially as this species actually are. If so, this species too, shows a great deal of variability. It is, however, a true species. The petiole is up to 11 1/2 inches long and the leaf is lanceolate or elliptic, up to 14 inches long and 5 inches wide. It has many prominent lateral nerves. The plants I’ve seen that I think are probably the real thing have fairly wavy edges on the leaves, while on other specimens, the leaves are quite flat. In my experience, this species appears to be less vigorous than the barteri group under permanently submersed conditions in the aquarium.

Anubias gigantea CHEVALIER ex HUTCHINSON

This species is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Togo and Cameroon. As its name implies, it is a large plant, probably unsuitable for most home tanks. In any case, it is better suited to life in a large paludarium than in an aquarium. The leaves are trilobate, with such distinct lobes that they fall just short of being separate leaflets.

Anubias gilletii DE WILDEMAN et DURAND

Anubias gilletii is a large attractive plant with a long spear-shaped leaf that sports two small lobes at the base. It is native to Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Congo and Zaire.

Anubias gracilis CHEVALIER ex HUTCHINSON

This Anubias is a native of Guinea and Sierra Leone. For some reason that completely escapes me, this pretty plant is usually sold under the name A. hastifolia, which is the true name of a completely different plant. A. gracilis has leaves of a much softer texture than most Anubias species and will not stand up to as much abuse as others. It is very distinctive due to the strongly triangular shape of the light green leaves. The leaves attach to the petiole at an angle, and bottom lobes of the leaves often curve upward. The leaves grow up to 5 inches on a 13-inch long petiole.

In my experience, A. gracilis is the least robust species commonly available in this sturdy genus when kept under permanently submersed conditions. It does not tolerate excessive handling and uprooting. Place it where you want it in the tank and take care not to disturb it until its root system has developed. Even better might be to use it in a paludarium-type setup, to which it is better suited.

Anubias hastifolia ENGLER

This Anubias species is found in the wild in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Zaire. It is not often offered in the aquarium hobby, but I have seen it come in from time to time. More commonly, the name is seen incorrectly assigned to A. gracilis on sales lists. This is a big plant, which is one of the reasons it will probably never be a popular aquarium plant. The leaves grow to 13 inches on a 26-inch petiole. In the fully adult form, the leaves are tripartite with the middle lobe lanceolate. To me, it looks like a big poison ivy plant! The lateral lobes are smaller, but still up to 10 iches long and 3 inches wide. In younger plants, the leaves can be lanceolate with a short cordate base.

Anubias heterophylla ENGLER

This plant is often sold under the obsolete name of A. congensis. It hails from Cameroon, Guinea, Gabon, the Congo, Angola and Zaire. It is another plant that is very variable in size, ranging from 4-inch leaves on 4-inch petioles up to 15-inch leaves on 26-inch petioles. Those offered commercially seem to get somewhat larger than A. barteri, but are still a useful aquarium size. My specimen is about 18 inches tall including exposed roots, leaf blade and petiole. The leaves of this species are elliptic-ovate or lanceolate, and two to six times as long as they are broad. The plant is another of the lighter green species of Anubias, and the leaves have a pleasing rippled texture. It is the only Anubias outside the A. barteri complex that I have had the pleasure of flowering in my tanks.

Anubias pynaertii DE WILDEMAN

This is a large and attractive species from Cameroon, Gabon, the Congo and Zaire. Its graceful slender leaves are held aloft on long petioles. In the mature plant, these leaves are fully tripartite. On younger specimens the leaves can appear more lanceolate with small lobes at the base. Unfortunately, besides the issue of size, A. pynaertii is a poor candidate for long term submersed life in the aquarium. It is much better suited to life in a large paludarium, where it can stand with its feet in the water and its leaves in the air.

Aquarium Care

The tough, long-lasting leaves of most Anubias species stand up to all but the most confirmed plant eaters. The plants can be placed either in the substrate itself or grown epiphytically, attached to a piece of driftwood. Because of their amphibious nature, they are a useful addition to the paludarium as well as the aquarium. This is also the best setting for those species that do not adapt to long-term submersion.

Anubias grow with a long thick horizontal rhizome. The leaves grow up from the rhizome on petioles that vary from quite short to very long, depending on the species. The stiff roots extend down from the rhizome and actually hold the plant up off the bottom, giving them a “spidery” appearance. It is very important not to bury the rhizome or it can rot and kill the plant.

Temperature, hardness and pH are not of major importance when growing Anubias, as the plants are very tolerant of aquarium conditions. In fact, they are one of the few plants that can be successfully used in the hard alkaline water of a Rift Lake cichlid tank.

One problem with Anubias sometimes occurs in tanks with high light levels and strong growth. Under these conditions, the slow-growing Anubias are sometimes unable to compete with faster-growing species for nutrients available in the water column. New leaves produced by the Anubias will become progressively smaller. Under these conditions, it is often useful to supplement by inserting solid fertilizers deep into the substrate near the roots of the Anubias.

Individual Anubias leaves can live well over a year. The long life of the leaves is sometimes a disadvantage in a tank with algae problems, because they can become encrusted with algae almost like a plastic plant. This rarely harms the plant, but can be unsightly. In a tank with severe algae problems, the slow growth rate of Anubias can mean that the plant never outgrows its algae “coat.”

Anubias are easily propagated. Simply use a sharp knife or a pair of sharp scissors to cut through the thick horizontal rhizome. Make sure each section contains at least a few leaves and a healthy number of roots. Specimens can be encouraged to branch by taking a sharp knife or razor blade and just nicking the tough outer layer of the rhizome. Before long, the plant will send out a branching rhizome from the damaged area.

Anubias can occasionally be purchased at better pet stores, particularly specimens of A. barteri var. barteri and A. barteri var. nana. Other species and varieties may be available upon request or can be ordered from the specialty mail-order plant suppliers. Even the more common Anubias are more expensive than the average aquarium plant, and the less common species can be decidedly pricey. Don’t let this hold you back, however. These plants can be thought of as an investment. It is entirely likely that you will never need to buy another specimen of any particular species or variety. In fact, if you take good care of your plant, before long you’ll be selling cuttings to fellow hobbyists and will have earned your purchase price back!