# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk >  Bucephalandra - an easy plant to grow?

## illumbomb

Hi, my friend recommended me to try cultivating an aquatic Aroid called Bucephalandra found endemic in Borneo. Photographs of such plants are attached below for your reference:







The plants seemed to be similar to Anubias, easy and hardy to grow and can be tied onto driftwood. Anyone has any experience with these plants? 

These plants grow along rocky and sandy rivers banks in the nature with changing water levels throughout the year (i.e. sometimes emersed and sometimes submersed). Can they be grown totally submersed throughout the year in planted tanks instead? Apparently these plants are quite popular in Japan now. Thanks.

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## Vadim

Unique plants, grow well and reproduce in an aquarium, a very diverse genus from micro to medium size. On the driftwood and in the soil, some can be used as foreground plants. The growth rate of some of them comparable with Anubias barteri nana.

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## illumbomb

Thanks for the tips Vadim. I have attached some photographs I took in my post above for ease of reference. 

I presume they can be considered as low maintenance plants like Anubias and do not really need high lights and C02? 

They don't seemed to be a popular aquatic plants as I can't seemed to find much information on clutivation of these plants in the regular aquatic plant books and websites?

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## ranmasatome

endemic plants to borneo??

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## TS168

hi illumbomb, i try before, very hardy and i do feel it a good option for vivarium.
as for submerse, it grow slow. i think you might need to convert it after sometime before it will start to start growing.
Good luck in growing.

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## StanChung

I got one species of them[1st pic] and it does look nice and the size difference between the emersed and submersed version is very big! The submersed version looks good on branches.
I think it has potential for aquascaping-something other than anubias! Especially those who like to keep plants from a region _ala_ biotope.

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## Wackytpt

These buggers grow big.

Right stan =)

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## StanChung

LOL- How's your big emersed ones? The ones you gave me are in my plant holding tanks.
I haven't seen them in awhile since I'm not home. They're fairly easy I think. As easy as anubias.

There's still lots of plants out there for the hobby. Thank goodness for that or I'll be quitting real quick!

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## Vadim

[QUOTE=illumbomb;537029] QUOTE]
Hi, thanks for the photo. Really new and rare plants. Anubiases also love the high light and CO2.
Some photos of my plants

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## shrimppaste

I think I saw a few bags for sale at C328. Selling at if I rememebre correctly $18 per bag.

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## illumbomb

Found this japanese blog featuring a lot of bucephalandra, this is one example among the many posting (refer to the bucephalandra category on the left side of his blog)

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## Royston

Wow they look really nice in different shades of green.

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## illumbomb

I saw recently at C328 pots of plants named as bucephalandra selling at $4 per pot, my personal view is that those plants looked more like baby piptospatha than bucephalandra so review and decide for yourself before buying......

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## limz_777

nice heads up , are you still cultivating bucephalandra ?

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## illumbomb

Nope I am not cultivating them now. I am still more interested in Cryptocoryne although I have seen many of these Bucephalandra specimens. The differences in the appearance of the leaves and spathes of Bucephalandra are less distinctive as compared to Cryptocoryne which is why I am not too captivated by Bucephalandra yet...

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