Even though it does not look like a water lily , Barclaya longifolia is a member of the lily family. It is in the Nymphaeaceae and comes from Southeast Asia. While not a beginner’s plant , it makes a wonderful aquarium plant as long as conditions are met.
As opposed to most lily types , B. longifolia does not form floating pads at the water surface. Instead , the plant has long leaves of a flimsy texture that extend to 15″ or so. The leaf blades are somewhat rectangular with a point at the tip. The edges are widely ruffled. The upper surface of the leaf blade is olive green , while the lower surface is a deep pink to dull red. Very attractive! The plant grows from a small bulb just below the gravel surface.
The conditions needed to successfully grow this beauty are clean water with a temperature in the mid-upper 70F range. It will not do well in poor quality water or cooler temperatures. The lighting needs to be reasonably bright. I grow my plants of this species in a 30 gallon tank at 76F – 78F. A 50% water change is done each week with approximately 80% reverse osmosis water. Lighting is provided by a twin tube aquarium hood with two 30 watt daylight bulbs. Both plants that I obtained were fully developed when purchased. They were planted in the gravel as you would any rooted plant. If you obtain the plant as bulbs , place them on the gravel and allow them to start growing before planting , otherwise , they may be planted upside down.
B. longifolia blooms readily in the aquarium once mature. The flowers are produced on long stems that may or may not reach the water surface. That is not an issue as the flowers open anyway. The basic color of the bloom is olive with some burgundy accents. If they can reach the surface , they generally open completely. If they do not reach the surface , they generally only open partially. They are selffertile and will self-pollinate – whether they reach the surface or not. In a few weeks afterwards , the ovary will swell into a berry. The berry contains a slightly sticky gelatinous material with lots of small black seeds the size of poppy seeds. The berry can be picked when soft and the seeds collected. They may be scattered in a tank with similar conditions and allowed to sprout. If the berry breaks in the tank , as it often does , you will likely end up with seedlings showing up in odd places in the tank. My original 2 plants are now several times that many.
One other aspect to keep in mind. As they are lilies , they die back for a few months each year. Leave the bulbs undisturbed. Never fear , they will be back in full force when their cycle starts anew. Just remember that the empty spot in the tank is not really empty.