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Bolbitis heudelotii, the African water fern, is an aquatic fern from African rivers and streams that is grown submerged, usually attached to wood or rock. Give it clean, flowing, slightly acidic water and a shady spot.
Bolbitis heudelotii, also known as the African water fern, creeping fern, and Congo fern, is native to subtropical and tropical Africa, from Ethiopia west to Senegal; and down to northern South Africa.
In the aquarium, B. heudelotii requires water temperatures of 20–28 °C and moderately acidic ('soft') to neutral water with a pH range of 5.0–7.0, but tolerates a wide range of light levels. It does best in flowing water.
This species is often used as a midground specimen plant in tropical freshwater aquaria. Propagation is from divisions and cuttings from the rhizome.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Bolbitis heudelotii by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
