Cryptocoryne lucens is a time-tested robust small to medium-sized crypt with narrow lanceolate medium green leaves. It has a dense bushy growth habit or forms higher lawn-like groups. Cryptocoryne lucens looks rather similar to Cryptocoryne parva but grows much higher and faster. It differs from Cryptocoryne x willisii “nevillii”, which is robust, as its leaves are of a more longish form and grow higher than those of the latter when cultivated submersed.
Cryptocoryne x willisii is a group name comprising many different varieties of Cryptocoryne which are presumably hybrids of Cryptocoryne parva and related species (C. walkeri, C. beckettii) occuring in nature. They are distributed in the area around Kandy city in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, where they grow on river banks. Their leaves are oblong-ovate to narrow-lanceolate, with an even, unpatterned medium green colour, which resemble those of Cryptocoryne parva but grow bigger (emersed to 25, submersed to 20 cm in height). The blade of the spathe (the pseudopetal) is rough to tuberculate and is quite variably coloured, often dark purple or reddish brown.
Crypt lucens is a less common type of crypt that can serve as an ideal foreground or midground plant. The slender leaves are bright green with brown stems and when rown in large groups can resemble tall reeds of thick grass. Like other crypts, this plant is recommended for beginners due to its ease in keeping and low care requirements. f grown in good aquarium substrate such as ADA, the plant can feed through the roots and grow quickly without the need for high light, CO2 or fertilizer dosing.
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