Bucephalandra ‘Apple Leaf’ – The Tiny Tree with a Tart Twist 🍏🌿

Scientific Name: Bucephalandra sp. ‘Apple Leaf’
Category: Aquatic Plants (Rhizome Plant)

🍏 A Leafy Little Gem with Fruity Personality

Meet Bucephalandra ‘Apple Leaf’, the tart and tiny treasure of the buce world! Named for its delightfully rounded, apple-shaped leaves, this compact variety of Bucephalandra is a slow-growing rhizome plant perfect for nano tanks, aquascaping detail work, and shrimp hideouts. Its deep green to bluish foliage can shimmer under the right lighting, sometimes catching subtle hues of burgundy or iridescent tones like a dew-kissed apple in the morning mist.

This plant thrives when attached to rock, driftwood, or botanicals, and requires very little care—just stable water parameters and a touch of patience. Great for low-tech tanks but absolutely glows in high-tech setups with CO₂ and bright lighting.

🌿 What to Expect:

• Small, rounded leaves with a soft gloss

• Rhizome plant—do not bury the base!

• Grows best when tied or glued to hardscape

• Color may shift under different lighting—green, blue, or reddish tones

💧 Care & Conditions:

• Light: Low to medium

• Temp: 68–80°F (20–27°C)

• pH: 6.0–7.5

• CO₂: Optional but boosts growth and color

• Growth Rate: Slow and steady (but oh-so worth it)

🦐 Why You’ll Love It:

✅ Ultra-compact—perfect for nano and detail scapes
✅ Great for shrimp tanks; leaves collect biofilm naturally
✅ Low-maintenance and beginner-friendly
✅ Can be grown emerged or submerged
✅ Leaf shape adds contrast to spikier plants and mosses

🎁 Bonus Tip:

Pair with reddish botanicals like Catappa leaves or Alder cones to bring out hidden blush tones in the foliage—nature’s color harmony at work! 🍂🎨