Cryptocoryne wendtii
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Also known asCrypt wendtii · Wendt's water trumpet
Water parameters
Light and nutrients
Substrate type: nutrient rich. Propagation: runners.
Substrate compatibility
| Substrate | pH effect | Nutrient load |
|---|---|---|
| Aquasoil (ADA Amazonia) | lowers pH | very high |
| Mineralized clay substrate (Seachem Fluorite) | neutral / inert | moderate |
| Dirted tank (mineralized topsoil) (DIY soil substrate) | slightly acidic | very high |
| Inert sand (Pool filter sand) | neutral / inert | none |
With fish
Origin and habitat
Native to western and central Sri Lanka, in slow streams and river margins. Cryptocoryne wendtii, family Araceae, was named by the Dutch botanist Hendrik de Wit for the aquarium writer Albert Wendt, and it is the single most widely sold and grown Cryptocoryne in the hobby. Many colour forms are traded, among them 'Green', 'Brown' or bronze, 'Red', the compact hammered-bronze 'Tropica', the reddish 'Mi Oya' (named for a Sri Lankan river) and the pink tissue-culture form 'Flamingo'; botanically several varieties such as jahnelii, krauteri, nana and rubella are recognised. Leaves are broadly lanceolate, 10–20 cm long, with slightly wavy margins and a dimpled, hammered surface. The species is strikingly plastic, the same plant looking very different with light, nutrients and water, which has fuelled both the trade-name sprawl and the genus's taxonomic confusion.
Care notes
The easiest crypt and one of the most dependable aquarium plants at any level. It grows in almost anything, from low light, performing well on as little as 20 PAR, to bright light, with or without CO2, in hard or soft water around pH 6 to 8. Low light pulls the leaves longer and greener, while moderate to strong light brings out the varietal colours. It is a heavy root feeder, so a nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs give the best colour and growth, though it gets by in plain gravel. Growth is moderate, about a leaf a week once settled. Crypt melt can hit after a move, but wendtii is among the most reliable in the genus at bouncing back, regrowing within a few weeks if the roots are left alone. It is one of the most prolific runner-producers in the genus, often filling a 20–30 cm patch in a few months, so trim and relocate stray daughter plants. The tough, slightly leathery leaves resist most herbivores. This is the crypt to start with, and its colour forms let a beginner try several looks within one forgiving species. It is an ornamental rosette, not a crop, so it is unsuited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.