Brownie Ghost is one of the darkest plants in the genus — deep brown to nearly black leaves carrying a silver-blue sheen. Grown above water it shows dark green stems under brown leaves. This is the tissue-culture format: sterile, snail-free, ready to attach once rinsed.
What You'll Receive
- One sealed 4-inch Vitro Culture® tissue culture bag
- Approximately 4 small plantlets grown in sterile nutrient gel
- 100% free from snails, algae, pesticides and pathogens
- Rinse the gel away and separate the plantlets before planting
Plant Profile
- Common name — Brownie Ghost Buce
- Scientific name — Bucephalandra sp. 'Brownie Ghost'
- Also known as — Buce, Bucep
- Origin — Borneo (genus range)
- Placement — Foreground to midground, attached to hardscape
- Mature height — 2-4 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. Deepens colour and speeds growth if you already run it.
- Water — 72-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5
- Substrate — None needed. Epiphyte; attaches to wood or rock.
- Growth habit — Amphibious rhizome creeper; grows submersed or emersed
- Propagation — Rhizome division
Grower's Notes
- Place it against something pale. A near-black plant on dark wood disappears; against light stone or pale sand it becomes a focal point. This matters more for Brownie Ghost than for any green variety.
- Rinse the gel off completely and separate the four plantlets before attaching. Leftover nutrient agar clouds water and feeds algae.
- 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.
- The silver sheen is structural, not pigment — it appears and disappears with viewing angle and light source, and it does not make the plant harder to keep.
Prefer rooted plants? See standard Bucephalandra Brownie Ghost.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Bucephalandra Care Guide.
Notes
Disclaimer: 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, and pesticides, grow emerged or submerge.
Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised this tissue culture aquatic plant for arriving healthy with vibrant color and growth. One shopper split 16 good-sized pieces from their culture. Reviews highlight "lots of pieces, all healthy" with "no dead leaves" and strong root development. The cup was "packed full" offering excellent value.
- All lovely color and vibrant growth, no dead leaves
- Healthy plant in great condition
- Cup was packed full, good value
M
I was able to split 16 good sized pieces off of the tissue culture I received. All lovely color and vibrant growth, no dead leaves and most of them were trying to grow thick roots
S
The Crypto is absolutely beautiful green. So glad I found aquarium plants factory.
N
They arrived quickly and even on the hottest day of the summer, there was absolutely no damage to the plants.
The tissue culture cup was jam packed with lush, healthy plants.
I will definitely be ordering again.
A
I can barely believe how many tiny cryptocorne plants I was able to tease apart from this one little tissue culture cup. More than 40 plants! Shipping was prompt, and the greenery was lush. Five Stars.
E
Came in lush and beautiful, these were probably some of my favorite aquarium plants I’ve ever bought, and I’ve bought from several places online. These little guys have a lot of gel on the bottom that needs to be washed off (I used aquarium water), and their roots all seem to converge into a mat. I gave up trying to separate them and cut the bridges between each group of plantlets with a scissors, but realized afterwards the plants were tough enough to just be firmly and slowly pulled apart and their roots would follow. Mine are doing well even in my hard water and seem to be growing. I am excited to see them grow more (fingers crossed, root tabs, and liquid fertilizer ;) )
D
The plants arrived in decent condition and after a few days they look beautiful.
L
I received my tissue culture cup in about 5 days while in NC. The plants came in great shape and so far no melt back. Was able to separate the plants into about 8 big clumps. Will definitely buy from here again.
C
The tissue culture of Green Gecko Cyrptocoryne was healthy and I was able to separate it into 7 small bunches. I am happy with this purchase.
A
I was very happy with the delivery time and the quality of the tissue culture. The green Wendi is doing very well. I also appreciate that they did not pummel me with advertising gimmick. I’ll certainly buy tissue culture from them again.
J
Plants are doing great. Well packaged. I’m very pleased
S
All plants looks great, hoping to watch them grow nicely
G
Arrived in excellent condition
V
Healthy plant I Greta condition
Z
Cup was packed full, good value.
M
Came quickly and super healthy. Jam packed cup of plants. Going through a melt right now but fingers crossed
L
The size of this culture is much larger than the picture and comes with well over 100 individual plants, but i broke them up into 8 groups. I am very pleased with my order!
L
The cup was crammed full of very healthy plants that were well rooted. I divided it into 6 bunches and planted them yesterday. So far so good. It probably could have been separated into more groups for sure, but I thought if I left them in larger chunks they would be more likely to survive any crypt melt.
K
My plants came quickly and beautifully packaged. Healthy and good color. They didn't even die back as do most crypts do.
M
Arrived in excellent condition. Healthy and vigorous. Beautiful little Cryptocoryne
F
I ordered tissue cultured plants. The cups are chocked full of healthy plants which were carefully packaged and arrived quickly. Thank you. I look forward to future purchases.
J
Which Bucephalandra brownie ghost is this?
This is our standard Bucephalandra Brownie Ghost Vitro Culture (not the '2011' variant, which is a separate listing) - it's the classic Brownie Ghost first discovered on Borneo Island, known for its dark green stem and brown leaf coloration when grown emersed, which shifts to richer tones once established underwater.
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