🌿 Bucephalandra ‘Catherine’ – Complete Care Guide

Bucephalandra ‘Catherine’ is a beautiful and somewhat rare Buce variety known for its long, elegant leaves, subtle iridescence, and compact but graceful growth. It is prized in aquascaping for its natural, flowing appearance and consistent hardiness.

⭐ Appearance

• Leaf Shape: Long, slender, slightly wavy edges.

• Leaf Color:

  • Deep green to olive

  • Under strong light may show blue or metallic sheens

  • Young leaves may appear lighter or slightly reddish

• Size: Typically 6–12 cm tall; leaves can be longer than many compact Buce types.

• Growth Pattern: Upright, bushy clumps on a creeping rhizome.

🌱 Growth Requirements

Light

• Low to medium light preferred.

• High light can enhance the iridescence but risks algae.

CO₂

• Not mandatory, but helpful for:

  • better coloration

  • stronger leaf size

  • faster growth (still slow overall)

Water Parameters

• Temperature: 22–28°C

• pH: 5.5–7.5

• Hardness: Soft to medium

• Flow: Mild to moderate; helps mimic natural habitat.

Placement

• Works great in mid-ground or as a feature plant attached to:

  • driftwood

  • dragon stone

  • lava rock

• Never bury the rhizome.

💧 Maintenance

• Slow-to-moderate growth rate compared to other Buce varieties.

• Trim old or melting leaves occasionally.

• Maintain stable parameters to avoid stress.

🍃 Propagation

• Propagate by division of the rhizome:

  • Each section should have 3–5 leaves.

  • Attach to hardscape using glue or thread.

• New shoots appear from nodes along the rhizome.

🌈 Coloration & Special Traits

• Exhibits subtle blue shimmer under strong, clear LED lighting.

• Leaves sometimes show slightly pink/reddish tones when new.

• Looks elegant in flowing aquascapes due to its long leaf shape.

🧪 Fertilization

• Prefers light liquid fertilization with trace elements.

• Iron helps new leaf coloration but avoid heavy dosing.

• Very light root feeding if grown semi-buried (though usually attached).

⚠️ Common Issues

Melting

• Often happens after shipping or replanting.

• Keep water stable; it recovers slowly.

Algae

• Long leaves make it susceptible in high light.

• Best kept in medium-light shaded zones.

🪴 Ideal For

• Nature-style and jungle-style aquascapes

• Driftwood-dominant scapes

• Mid-ground highlights

• Low-tech or high-tech tanks

• Aquarists wanting a longer-leaf Buce variant