Bucephalandra is a small-leaved genus. 'Giant Broad Leaf' is the exception — wide, thick, paddle-shaped leaves in deep green with a blue-metallic sheen under the right light. It is still a Buce, so it still grows about an inch a year; you are buying leaf size, not speed.
What You'll Receive
Sold as loose bare-root plants:
- 1 Plant: Loose bare-root with approximately 6+ leaves
- 5 Plants: Loose bare-root with approximately 25+ leaves total
- 10 Plants: Loose bare-root with approximately 50+ leaves total
Plant Profile
- Common name — Giant Broad Leaf Buce
- Scientific name — Bucephalandra sp. 'Giant Broad Leaf'
- Also known as — Buce Giant Broad Leaf
- Origin — Borneo, Indonesia
- Placement — Midground, attached to hardscape
- Mature height — 4-6 inches
- Growth rate — Slow
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Low to medium
- CO₂ — Not required, though it speeds an already slow plant
- Water — 72-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5
- Substrate — None needed; tie or glue the rhizome to wood or rock
- Growth habit — Amphibious epiphyte, feeds from roots and water column
- Propagation — Rhizome division
Grower's Notes
- "Giant" means 4 to 6 inches, not enormous. Among Bucephalandra that is genuinely large — most varieties ship around 2-3 inches — but set expectations against the genus, not against a sword plant.
- Expect roughly an inch of growth per year. Broad leaves do not mean fast growth. The plant you receive is close to the plant you will have in six months, which is exactly why it holds a scape's shape without trimming.
- Never bury the rhizome. The horizontal stem must sit in open water, tied or glued to a surface. Buried, it rots — and at this growth rate the loss is not recoverable in a season.
- The blue sheen needs an angle. Metallic iridescence on Buce shows when light strikes the leaf sideways. Mounted flat and viewed from above it simply reads dark green — position it on the side of wood or rock instead.
- Melt after shipping is normal. Leaves may drop in the first fortnight while the rhizome settles. Leave it attached and undisturbed; new growth comes from the rhizome, not the old leaves.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Bucephalandra Care Guide.
Notes
- Like most Bucephalandra, slight leaf melt may occur after introduction as the plant adjusts to new conditions. This is temporary—new submersed leaves will regrow from the rhizome once the plant stabilizes.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
At a glance
- Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
- Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
- Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
- USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® ships Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- UPS Next Day Air® ships Monday through Thursday. Order by Wednesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
- Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
- We ship within the United States only.
Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.
The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.
How it works
- Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
- Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
- We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.
Good to know
- Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
- Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
- Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.
The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
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 aquatic plant for arriving "healthy and green" with "excellent root development." Shoppers loved the "great color" and robust rhizome system. One customer noted it started blooming within weeks in a low-tech tank. While most received generous portions, one shopper found the size smaller than pictured, and another experienced some melt.
- Super nice with great color and is super healthy. Large rhizome with good root development.
- My favorite plant in my aquarium. Started to BLOOM within a week or two of planting!
- Large with well developed root systems. These are survivors!
J
All the plants were in great shape! I love Buce, and the buy 2 get 1 deal is too good to pass up. The items shipped quickly, and even though usps delays are common, the plants were packaged well and didn'tp suffer. When I decided to rescape one of our tanks, I knew I would get peace of mind from getting APF plants.
F
This plant is super nice with great color and is super healthy. Can’t wait to watch this grow. This plant has a very large rhizome with good root development and zero melt. I am very pleased with this purchase.
R
Another beautiful order! This one was much larger than anticipated, and it looks incredibly healthy for enduring several days in the summer heat in transit. I couldn't be happier! Thank you APF!
B
My order came 2 days earlier than expected and the plants were in excellent condition. They were large with large, well developed root systems. I've had orders from other sellers arrive with small plants having an underdeveloped root system - they seldom survived. These are suvivors!
A
All leaves were healthy and green. Removed easily from pots. No nasty smell like I had with another company. They planted beautifully and are doing well.
A
Bought 2 bucephalandra giant for $15 each during the Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotion, and I'm super happy with them! The size of the pots was larger than expected, which was an awesome surprise. They handled shipping like champions and arrived in perfect shape. I've been quarantining them since their arrival 2 weeks ago but have noticed no problems or hitchhikers. Would absolutely recommend APF for this buce!
J
This was the one of many that I Have ordered that I was most happy with. I has a rich dark green leaf with a strong stem. Arrived very health and looks great!
E
I am satisfied with this purchase. I received three plants, shown in the pictures.
K
Leaves and roots arrived healthy and look nice in the tank!
L
Beautiful and healthy! Love it.
A
Thank you for the great and healthy plant.
R
Nice plant🌱🌱👍
C
Bucephalandra Giant
K
I have stocked 4 aquariums with many orders entirely from aquarium plants factory. I’m always a happy returning customer. This buce was the only plant I’ve ever had a negative experience with. 3/6 portions arrived dead and slimy. The other 3 portions had a lot of leaves melt.
However, I was promptly refunded for the plants. Maybe I just have bad luck with buce and yours will flourish. Leaving the review at 5 stars because APF’s customer service is wonderful.
G
Love this plant. The color blue brings out the greens in my swords. Under my LED, the detail on the leaf surface is visible and interesting. The pots that I received had 11 leaves each with new growth. The one I planted in substrate had developed roots and is quite healthy. I look forward to watching them grow. Mine are shorter than the picture with the hand. I will order from APF again. Every part of the purchase experience was pleasant.
E
These were so healthy and happy when they arrived. Beautiful addition to our tank.
P
The plant arrived looking very good, with an extensive root system. The color, which may be normal, of the leaves is a grayish-green instead of the pictures that look more robust evergreen blue-green. I'm a first time buyer, so the plant root system is A+, the color just not as expected but I assume it's normal. Kylie Santo's picture in the review looks like the color of my plant, as opposed to Elizabeth C's picture. Packaging for shipping was very good!
J
Great root structure!
j
The plants looked great and healthy.
👍
R
Plant is really healthy couldnt ask for a better plant looks like it has been established in my tank for months bit just got it.
K
Probably my favorite plant in my aquarium. Can't wait to see it grow up. It's constantly pearling in my very low tech tank and started to BLOOM within a week or two of planting!
A
Plant was a bit smaller than what was pictured, but it arrived on time and in great health. Looks great in my 20 gallon hex tank!
C
nice healthy plants
s
It will take some time before mine are the size in the picture. That said; Very happy with the healthy plants that arrived. New variety for me. :)
S
How tall does this plant grow?
Bucephalandra Giant Broad Leaf is a slow-growing epiphyte, so it stays fairly low-profile overall - it won't grow tall like a stem plant. What makes it special is its leaf size - it has some of the widest, paddle-shaped leaves in the Bucephalandra family, giving it a bold, eye-catching look even though the plant itself stays compact. It attaches to driftwood or rock rather than growing in substrate, so it works great as a midground or background showpiece.
D
How big do these get?
Bucephalandra Giant Broad Leaf is a slow-growing epiphyte, so overall it stays fairly compact and won't take over a tank. What makes it special is its leaf size - it has some of the widest, paddle-shaped leaves in the Bucephalandra family, giving it a bold, eye-catching look even at a modest size. It attaches to driftwood or rock rather than growing in substrate, so it works great as a midground or background showpiece.
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