Brownie Phoenix carries more color range than most of the Brownie line — narrow, slightly wavy leaves that read red through violet with a metallic blue cast, depending on the light and the age of the leaf. It is a collector's variety and priced like one. What You'll Receive Sold as loose bare-root plants: 1 Plant: Loose bare-root with approximately 6+ leaves 5 Plants: Loose bare-root with approximately 25+ leaves total 10 Plants: Loose bare-root with approximately 50+ leaves total Plant Profile Common name — Brownie Phoenix Buce Scientific name — Bucephalandra sp. 'Brownie Phoenix' Also known as — Buce Brownie Phoenix Origin — Borneo (genus range) Placement — Foreground to midground, attached to hardscape Mature height — 2-4 inches Growth rate — Slow Care Difficulty — Beginner Light — Low to medium. Stronger light brings out the red and violet, but also algae the plant is too slow to outgrow — medium is the practical ceiling. CO₂ — Not required. It deepens color and speeds growth, nothing more. Water — 72-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5, soft to moderately hard Substrate — None needed. Epiphyte; feeds from the water column. Growth habit — Amphibious rhizome creeper; grows submersed or emersed Propagation — Rhizome division Grower's Notes You are buying a color range, not a color. Brownie Phoenix reads differently on new versus mature leaves and under different light sources. Expect variation across the same plant — that shifting quality is the point of the variety, not a fault. Never bury the rhizome. Tie or glue it to wood or rock and leave it exposed; buried rhizomes rot. Farm-raised, not wild-collected. All the Bucephalandra we carry is farm-grown, and much of it is raised from tissue culture rather than collected from Borneo. Give it flow. Bucephalandra are rheophytes from fast Borneo streams, and moderate current keeps the leaves clean of debris and algae. Divide with a clean blade, keeping several leaves and some roots on each section. Want to go deeper? Read our complete Bucephalandra Care Guide. Notes Like other Bucephalandra varieties, Brownie Phoenix may experience minor leaf melt during acclimation. This is temporary and new growth will appear once the plant stabilizes in your aquarium. Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
