This Bucephalandra is produced under the trade name “Theia” in nurseries and tissue culture laboratories. Its exact origin and species identity are unknown to us, but all Bucephalandra species are native to the island of Borneo, where they occur as flow-adapted plants (rheophytes) on rock in the flood zone of streams.
In its submerged form, Bucephalandra sp. “Theia” develops compact, rosette-like shoots and splendid colours. The rhizome, which is at least 4 cm long, grows creeping to ascending and branches strongly. In time, the side shoots give rise to a bush that grows to about 6 – 7 cm high and at least 18 cm wide.The short-stalked, up to about 3.5 cm long, obovate leaves have a rounded tip. While the emersed leaves are dark olive green, the underwater leaves show reddish brown to purple tones and often a bluish sheen. In addition, the stomata of the leaves are visible under water as many silvery spots.