Cryptocoryne crispatula var. kubotae

Cryptocoryne crispatula

The narrowest-leaved variety of Cryptocoryne crispatula — thin-leaved, grass-like, copper-brown, from around Ubon Ratchathani in eastern Thailand. Described as a separate variety only at the end of 2015.

Light: low
Difficulty: medium
Height: 20 – 30 cm (7.9 – 12 in)
Temperature: 8 – 30 °C (46 – 86 °F)

Leaf colour: green, bronze or brown
Plant type: rosette
Growth rate: medium
CO₂ demand: low
Tolerates light: low – high
pH: 6 – 9
Carbonate hardness: 5 – 21 °dKH
General hardness: 0 – 30 °dGH
Placement: background, midground +2 background, midground, specimen, nano tank
Propagation: runners, rhizome division +2 runners, rhizome division, division, daughter plants
Grows emersed: yes

Appearance

The narrowest-leaved variety of the species — thin-leaved, grass-like, copper-brown. It differs from var. tonkinensis in narrower underwater leaves, a thinner midrib and a smooth edge (in tonkinensis the edge is smooth, wavy or curly).

Keeping

Difficulty medium, growth slow, light medium to strong, CO₂ 10–40 mg/l. More demanding and more sensitive than its larger relatives var. balansae and var. flaccidifolia. It deserves more attention for aquascaping.

Placement

Midground, nano aquarium.

Trade names

In the hobby for more than 35 years; until recently it was placed under var. tonkinensis and even called 'true tonkinensis', and was described as a separate variety at the end of 2015. Occasionally in the trade, usually as 'C. tonkinensis'; rare in aquariums. Plants with wider leaves and a wavy edge also turn up under this name — possibly the true tonkinensis.

Water conditions match

The water suits 990 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.

Swordtail Guppies Cobra Guppy Blood Red Molly Butterflyfish Red Zebra Cichlid Julii Corydoras Red-finned Parotocinclus Gastromyzon monticola Egg-shaped Goldfish Flame Tetra Gardner's Killifish African Tetra Kenyi Cichlid Cuckoo Catfish Golden Swordtail Hypsolebias picturatus Common Zacco Labeo Bicolor Gambusia Flying barb Gastromyzon scitulus Albino Zebra Danio Geophagus Brokopondo Zebra Mbuna

Will eat this plant

These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.

Bengal Loach Zebra Loach Burmese Border Loach Emperor Botia Spined Loach Marbled Headstander Pellegrin's Leporinus Leporinus striatus False Black Tetra Common Metynnis Mylossoma duriventre Red Whiptail Catfish Molly sphenops Balloon Molly Lyretail Molly Marble Molly Hi-Fin Platy Hawaii Platy Blue Platy Pintail Platy Black Platy Chocolate Molly Moonlight Gourami Melanotaenia parva

Will uproot it

These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.

Marble Loach Peacock Eel Forktail Loach Guntea Loach Long-nosed Loach Horseface Loach Pearlscale Black Moor Goldfish Shubunkin Painted Pleco Featherfin Synodontis Reddish Mystus Catfish Blue Acara Aulonocara maylandi Aulonocara multicolor Aulonocara Orchid Geophagus altifrons Geophagus winemilleri Pearlscale Cichlid Pearl Cichlid Redbelly Cichlid Red-spotted Cichlid Chuco godmanni Haplochromis philander Red Chromide Jack Dempsey cichlid

Matching water does not mean the fish will leave the plant alone.

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Other scientific names: Cryptocoryne balansae Gagnep., Cryptocoryne kwangsiensis H.Li, Cryptocoryne longispatha Merr., Cryptocoryne tonkinensis Gagnep., Cryptocoryne retrospiralis var. tonkinensis (Gagnep.) de Wit, Cryptocoryne retrospiralis crispathula, Cryptocoryne retrospiralis crispatula
Family: Araceae
Conservation status: LC