Barclaya longifolia

Family
Nymphaeaceae

Common Name
Orchid Lily

Origin
Southeast Asia, these plants are found in Burma, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Lighting Requirements
Medium, if lower lighting levels are used, the leaves will change from a red to a green colour.

Propagation
This is a rhizome plant so propagation is merely a matter of dividing the rhizome into smaller pieces and then replanting these in the substrate. Take care not to completely bury the rhizome or it will rot. The plant also flowers above the water surface so will produce seeds. Growing from seeds does not have a high success rate so this method is not often used.

Difficulty
Easy

Short Description
There are two varieties of this plant; one will produce red leaves if kept under adequate lighting bit the other will only produce green leaves. These make an excellent specimen plant for the Midground area of the aquarium but they will go through a dormant stage. This can often be overcome by moving the plant into a different area of the aquarium.