Cryptocoryne axelrodii

Cryptocoryne axelrodii Rataj is a synonym of Cryptocoryne undulata, the wavy water trumpet; C. willisii is listed as a further synonym.¹⁴ POWO classifies the name as illegitimate; the species is native to central Sri Lanka.²⁴ It is sometimes still traded with the addition “axelrodii”.³

In running waters it occurs both emersed and submersed.¹³ On the upper side the leaves of this 10–25 cm tall marsh plant are mid-green to dark brown, sometimes marbled; the narrowly lanceolate blades have a slightly wavy margin.¹³ On the underside the veins are often strikingly red.⁴ The triploid form grows larger under water than the diploid one; vegetatively it resembles C. walkeri and can hardly be identified with certainty without an inflorescence.¹⁴ Older diploid plants push their rhizome up out of the substrate.⁴ It is considered adaptable and needs no additional CO₂.¹³ Through underground runners it gradually forms larger stands in the midground.³

1. Kasselmann, C. (2019): Aquarienpflanzen. 4th edition (German). - Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart: p. 259.
2. Cryptocoryne undulata – Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (WCVP data as of 4 June 2026, accessed 5 October 2026)
3. Cryptocoryne undulata (“axelrodii”) – Aquasabi (accessed 5 October 2026)
4. Cryptocoryne undulata – The Crypts pages (Jan D. Bastmeijer) (accessed 5 October 2026)