Cryptocoryne spec. 'Flamingo'

Cryptocoryne spec. 'Flamingo' is a cultivar of Cryptocoryne wendtii, probably a selection from the form 'Tropica'.¹ According to the literature it arose in cultivation and has bullate leaf blades in a bright reddish brown; the species itself is native only to Sri Lanka.²⁴ 'Pink Panther' and, according to a forum report, also 'Fancy Pink' are regarded as identical.¹³

It develops its light to deep pink only under water and under stronger light; emersed-grown potted plants are usually greenish.¹ In C. wendtii the leaf colour varies strongly with growing conditions anyway.⁴ It is planted only in established tanks, as crypt melt threatens otherwise; there it grows very slowly, benefits from nutrients in the substrate and adds colourful accents in the foreground to midground.¹

1. Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Flamingo' ('Pink Panther') – Aquasabi (accessed 5 October 2026)
2. Cryptocoryne wendtii – Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (WCVP data as of 4 June 2026, accessed 5 October 2026)
3. Thread “Cryptocoryne wendtii "Fancy Pink" - identisch mit der "C. Flamingo"?” – Flowgrow forum (accessed 5 October 2026)
4. Kasselmann, C. (2019): Aquarienpflanzen. 4th edition (German). - Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart: pp. 263–264.