Giant Catherine is the large-leafed form of Catherine — same elongated leaf shape, roughly twice the scale, reaching three to six inches instead of the two to four most Bucephalandra manage. Use it where a normal Buce would look lost. What You'll Receive Sold as a Bunched Plants or Potted Plants. Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Plant Profile Common name — Giant Catherine Buce Scientific name — Bucephalandra sp. 'Giant Catherine' Also known as — Buce, Bucep Origin — Borneo (genus range) Placement — Midground, attached to hardscape Mature height — 3-6 inches Growth rate — Slow Care Difficulty — Beginner Light — Low to medium. Too much light brings algae the plant is too slow to outgrow. CO₂ — Not required Water — 72-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5 Substrate — None needed. Epiphyte; feeds from the water column. Growth habit — Amphibious rhizome creeper; grows submersed or emersed Propagation — Rhizome division Grower's Notes Scale is the whole point. Most Bucephalandra tops out around four inches, which makes it a detail plant. At three to six inches Giant Catherine can hold a midground position on its own in a larger tank — something the standard varieties cannot do without buying a dozen of them. 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. Larger leaves mean more surface for algae, and the plant grows no faster than its smaller relatives. Keep the light moderate. Some leaf melt after shipping is normal. The rhizome survives and pushes new submersed leaves within a few weeks. Want to go deeper? Read our complete Bucephalandra Care Guide. Notes Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, pesticides, grow emerged, or submerge. Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
