Cryptocoryne × willisii "Pigmea"

This small water trumpet has been marketed by the Anubias company (Bologna, Italy) under the name Cryptocoryne "pigmea". It is also offered by some internet shops as "Cryptocoryne pygmaea", but has nothing to do with either the species C. pygmaea or Cryptocoryne palawanensis, which has long been mistaken for C. pygmaea, both of which are native to the Philippines. The latter plant also looks very different and grows much larger under water than C. "pigmea".

According to information from the Anubias company (in the blog "Fish fingers"¹), C. "pigmea" is a small-growing mutation of Cryptocoryne nevillii from in vitro culture. However, this obviously does not refer to the true Anubias species C. nevillii, but C. x willisii "nevillii", which has long been incorrectly known in the aquarium hobby as "C. nevillii".

The plant labelled in the trade as Cryptocoryne "pigmea" therefore also belongs to the Cryptocoryne x willisii complex. It is therefore labelled here as C. x willisii "Pigmea".

Cryptocoryne x willisii "Pigmea" has very similar medium to dark green, elongated-ovate leaves to its long-known parent form. However, it does not grow taller than 5 cm submersed under favourable light conditions.¹ This gives it a similar size to Cryptocoryne parva, but it develops significantly wider leaf blades. Like other C. x willisii forms and C. parva, C. x willisii "Pigmea" forms underground runners.