Anubias barteri var. nana ‘Petite’ (‘Bonsai’)

The smallest Anubias variety in the trade can be found under two names: Anubias barteri var. nana ‘Petite’ and ‘Bonsai’. Its origins are very much in the dark: according to information given by Dennerle around the year 1997, the plant originates from Cameroun, according to the Tropica plant catalogue, this variety is based on a mutation that occured in the plant nursery “Oriental Aquaria” in Singapore (Kasselmann 2010). Whereas it is almost identical to Anubias barteri var. nana, its small size and slower growth is often given as a reason for higher prices.

Contrary to the opinion of some dealers the leaf blade of ‘Petite’ respectively ‘Bonsai’ may grow larger than 1 cm. However, it stays smaller than its ancestral form, Anubias barteri var. nana, anyway. Like the latter, ‘Petite’ is very hardy and has been called “growing plastic plant”. (read more)