Common name
Anubias hastifolia
Scientific name
Anubias hastifolia
Category
Aquarium plant
Group
Anubias
Environment
Large freshwater aquarium or humid paludarium
Origin
West tropical Africa to Angola; forest stream banks on rocks or mud
Care level
Intermediate
Adult size
A large semi-aquatic plant: petioles reach 9–67 cm and leaf blades 10–33 cm, so leaf height can approach about 1 m
Expected lifespan
Long-lived perennial under suitable conditions; exact lifespan is unknown
Minimum housing
No fixed litre minimum; use a tall aquarium or paludarium with close to 1 m potential headroom and substantial horizontal spread
Temperature
Unknown — no dependable species-specific numeric aquarium range was found
pH
Unknown — no dependable species-specific numeric aquarium range was found
Hardness / minerals
Unknown — no dependable numeric GH/KH range was found; maintain stable freshwater mineral conditions
Salinity
Freshwater; not a brackish plant
Lighting
Unknown species-specific requirement — start low to moderate and support emersed leaves appropriately
Placement / zone
Background or paludarium margin, with rhizome exposed on rock, wood or substrate surface
Filtration
Use gentle circulation and fine mechanical capture to keep detritus from settling on slow leaves and around the rhizome. Do not aim a harsh jet at new growth, and guard intakes after division or attachment work.
Aeration
Maintain ordinary whole-aquarium gas exchange. In low-flow hardscape pockets, ensure water still exchanges around the rhizome; in carbon-injected systems protect night-time oxygen.
Maintenance
Keep the rhizome exposed, remove failing leaves at the petiole base, clean persistent algae and sediment gently, inspect attachments, and divide only established branching growth with clean tools.

Identity and search names

Species profile for Anubias hastifolia, not every arrowhead-shaped Anubias or unrelated terrestrial aroid.

Search names: Hastate anubias, Arrowhead anubias, Amauriella hastifolia

Environment and housing

Natural habitat includes shaded forest-stream banks on rocks or mud. Provide stable humidity for emersed leaves, firm support and a fully exposed creeping rhizome.

Social structure: One clump or a spaced group of clonal divisions; no animal social structure applies. Leave room for the mature rhizome and species-specific leaf spread.

Feeding and nutrition

Feeding ecology: Balanced water-column and root-accessible nutrients without burying the rhizome

Feeding routine: Use balanced nutrients and avoid high dosing without visible deficiency.

Breeding, reproduction or spread

Divide a substantial rhizome only when each section can retain established leaves and roots.

Detailed care and app-ready planning

Identity scope
Species profile for Anubias hastifolia, not every arrowhead-shaped Anubias or unrelated terrestrial aroid.
Adult size and space
Petioles can reach 67 cm and blades 33 cm, allowing leaf height near 1 m. Provide matching headroom and horizontal clearance.
Social structure
One clump or a spaced group of clonal divisions; no animal social structure applies. Leave room for the mature rhizome and species-specific leaf spread.
Swimming zone or placement
Attached foreground, midground or emersed hardscape according to the identified species or cultivar; no animal swimming zone applies.
Feeding ecology
Slow-growing photosynthetic rhizome plant using light, dissolved carbon and restrained water-column nutrition.
Feeding plan
Use balanced nutrients and avoid high dosing without visible deficiency.
Water stability
Numeric temperature, pH and GH/KH limits remain Unknown. Maintain stable dechlorinated freshwater and stable humidity.
Habitat structure
Rhizome exposed on rock or wood, or roots placed in substrate while the rhizome remains above it, with gentle debris-clearing flow.
Compatibility plan
Do not place beneath a closed lid that crushes leaves or where mature foliage permanently shades small plants.
Breeding or reproduction plan
Divide a substantial rhizome only when each section can retain established leaves and roots.
Quarantine
Inspect large petioles, leaf undersides, rhizome and roots for snails, eggs, terrestrial pests, algae and rot.
Welfare checks
Check petiole support, leaf deformation, rhizome firmness, root health, desiccation, algae and crowding against the lid.
Biosecurity and release
Never release aquarium plants, fragments, substrate or wastewater into drains, ponds, dams or waterways. Check current Australian import conditions and state weed rules using the accepted botanical identity and all known synonyms.
Main risk
Placing a very large semi-aquatic species in a small aquarium.
Adult projected load
Projected load is slow perennial leaf and rhizome biomass, shading, trapped detritus and viable divisions. Biological waste is low, but neglected leaves can become long-term algae and debris surfaces.
Filtration
Use gentle circulation and fine mechanical capture to keep detritus from settling on slow leaves and around the rhizome. Do not aim a harsh jet at new growth, and guard intakes after division or attachment work.
Aeration
Maintain ordinary whole-aquarium gas exchange. In low-flow hardscape pockets, ensure water still exchanges around the rhizome; in carbon-injected systems protect night-time oxygen.
Maintenance
Keep the rhizome exposed, remove failing leaves at the petiole base, clean persistent algae and sediment gently, inspect attachments, and divide only established branching growth with clean tools.
Overridable warnings
Non-overridable: never bury the rhizome or release viable divisions, leaves with growing tissue, substrate or aquarium water. Light, fertiliser and attachment methods may vary only while the rhizome remains firm, exposed and free of persistent algae or rot.
Identity
Accepted species Anubias hastifolia. Amauriella hastifolia is a historical synonym. Hastate leaves alone are not sufficient identification without provenance.
Environment
Natural habitat includes shaded forest-stream banks on rocks or mud. Provide stable humidity for emersed leaves, firm support and a fully exposed creeping rhizome.
Feeding
Supply balanced nutrients through water and roots. Large leaves do not mean high fertiliser demand, and excess light may create persistent algae.
Breeding
Propagate by dividing a mature healthy rhizome. Flowering and seed production are not required for aquarium propagation.
Adult size and space
Petioles can reach 67 cm and blades 33 cm, allowing leaf height near 1 m. Provide matching headroom and horizontal clearance.
Growth Rate
Slow to moderate depending on emersed conditions; aquarium growth is usually slow.
Lighting Plan
Begin low to moderate. Emersed leaves need light without overheating or desiccation.
Carbon Plan
Injected carbon dioxide is optional for submerged growth; stable humidity is more important for emersed foliage.
Nutrient Plan
Use balanced nutrients and avoid high dosing without visible deficiency.
Substrate Plan
Keep the rhizome on the surface or attached to hardscape; roots may enter mud or substrate.
Propagation plan
Divide a substantial rhizome only when each section can retain established leaves and roots.
Biosecurity and release
Never release aquarium plants, fragments, substrate or wastewater into drains, ponds, dams or waterways. Check current Australian import conditions and state weed rules using the accepted botanical identity and all known synonyms.

Compatibility, welfare and risk

Compatibility: Only suitable where metre-scale leaf height and broad petioles will not shade or crush smaller plants.

Welfare: Check petiole support, leaf deformation, rhizome firmness, root health, desiccation, algae and crowding against the lid.

Main warning: This is a metre-scale semi-aquatic Anubias, not a nano aquarium plant. A small tank and buried rhizome are both serious placement errors.

Biosecurity and release

Never release aquarium plants, fragments, substrate or wastewater into drains, ponds, dams or waterways. Check current Australian import conditions and state weed rules using the accepted botanical identity and all known synonyms.

Sources