Cryptocoryne Auriculata in Sarawak

On this last trip we managed to find a new location of Cryptocoryne Auriculata with Tiger Stripe markings near Julau. Unlike the Pakan version, these have longer narrower leaves in submessed form. The emersed form have shorter leaves but clear tiger stripe marking could be seen too.

I was able to visit the Auriculata at another location and managed to photograph the spathe in full bloom. If you look closely, you can see some fruitflies on top of the spathe, which I belief are the agents of polination in the wild.

Until my next posting, take care and all the best!

Bucephalandra sp 'Sintang'

I just returned home from Kalimantan Barat after going back and forth over the last couple of weeks. The first part of the tour, I covered the west of Kalbar while the second part I visited the eastern part of Kalbar. There are lots of interesting plants and fishes in these areas and I had opportunities to visit their natural habitats.

One of the most remarkable plants for planted tank enthusiast as well as plants hobbyists is the Bucephalandra species. It is an aroid plant and a distant relative of Cryptocoryne. They are rhyzome plants so just tying them to a stone of driftwood should anchor them for submersed or emersed environment. The plant requires low to moderate lighting and can make a nice alternative to Anubias Barteri Var. If keeping them in emersed form, please keep them in high humidity.

There are many forms of Bucephalandra from different locations in Borneo, each pretty in their own ways.