Anubias afzelii

Anubias afzelii is a plant in the Araceae family. It was first described for science in 1857 by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott. That description was based on material collected in Sierra Leone by Adam Afzelius. Schott named the species after him. The genus Anubias was described at the same time. Only A. afzellii belonged to it. This is therefore the type species of the genus. A. afzelii was the first species of this genus known to science.

Where it grows
The plant is found in West Africa: Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Mali.

Description
The plant's leave blades are elongated (long and thin) and leathery. They can be up to  long and  wide. The leaf stems are generally shorter than the blade. The leaves are set on a creeping and rooting rhizome. It is  thick. The spathe is  long (sometimes up to 9 cm long). It has a  long peduncle. The spadix is  long (sometimes up to 12 cm long). It is a little bit longer than the spathe. Therefore, the tip of the spadix sticks a little bit out of the spathe. The upper part of the spadix is covered with male flowers. Their 5-6 stamens are fused. The anthers (also called thecae) are on the sides. The lower part of the spadix is covered with female flowers. These are reduced to the ovary and stigma.

Ecology
The plant grows in wet, shady places. It flowers from the end of March to July. It fruits from April to September. The plant grows above water, but can sometimes be completely under water.

Growing conditions
This plant grows best when only partly under water and when not crowded by other plants. It is most suited for the paludarium. It can also be used in larger aquariums, where it grows very slowly. It does not need much light. It prefers a temperature range of 22-26 °C. It can be propagated by dividing the rhizome. Propagation by seed is also easy.

References

Category:Anubias