Ask any aquascaper to name one plant a beginner cannot kill and the answer is usually Anubias. It grows in low light, needs no CO2 injection, and most fish and shrimp leave it completely alone. What surprises many hobbyists is just how many anubias plant types there are: from the fingernail-sized Nana Petite to the broad-leaved Var King, with gold, marbled and near-white forms in between.
Quick answer: We sell 16 Anubias varieties in India, from the fingernail-sized Nana Petite (1–2 cm leaves) to the hand-sized Var King. Nana, Nana Petite, Nana Gold, Glabra and Dragon Claw start at ₹90; variegated collector types such as Stardust and Panda cost ₹1,000 or more. All need low to moderate light, no CO2 and an unburied rhizome.
This guide compares all 16 Anubias varieties our Surat nursery sells and ships across India — what each one looks like, where it fits in your scape, and what it costs — so you can pick the right plant the first time. For planting and maintenance basics, keep our Anubias care guide handy.
Types of Anubias: all 16 at a glance
Anubias types sold in India fall into three groups. Green types (Nana, Glabra, Congensis, Coffeefolia, Dragon Claw, Butterfly) are happiest in low light. Small and coloured types (Nana Petite, Nana Gold, Chili) suit nano tanks. Variegated types (Nana White, Pinto, Snow White, Stardust, Panda, Marble, Var King) have white or cream patterns and grow the slowest.
| Variety | Leaf size | Look | Best position | Price from (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Anubias Nana | 3–5 cm | Rounded dark-green leaves | Midground | 90 |
 Anubias Nana Petite | 1–2 cm | Miniature deep-green leaves | Foreground / nano | 90 |
 Anubias Nana Gold | 3–4 cm | Golden-lime foliage | Midground accent | 90 |
 Anubias Barteri var. glabra | 8–15 cm | Smooth lance-shaped leaves | Mid/background | 90 |
 Anubias ‘Dragon Claw’ | 5–8 cm | Twisted, claw-like leaves | Midground feature | 90 |
 Anubias Congensis | 10–15 cm | Upright, narrow lance leaves | Background | 200 (pre-order) |
 Anubias ‘Coffeefolia’ | 6–9 cm | Ridged leaves, coffee-brown new growth | Midground focal | 250 (pre-order) |
 Anubias Butterfly | 5–8 cm | Green, rounded, slightly wavy leaves | Midground (premium) | 260 (pre-order) |
 Anubias Chili | 2–4 cm | Narrow leaves, bronze new growth | Foreground / nano | 310 |
 Anubias Nana White | 3–4 cm | Creamy-white marbled Nana | Midground accent | 310 |
 Anubias Pinto | 3–5 cm | Heavily white-marbled leaves | Midground accent | 310 |
 Anubias Snow White | 2–4 cm | Mostly white leaves | Collector / accent | 420 (pre-order) |
 Anubias Stardust | 3–5 cm | Dark green leaves with fine white speckles | Collector / accent | 1,100 |
 Anubias Panda | 4–6 cm | Bold black-green and white patches | Collector / accent | 1,250 |
 Anubias Marble | 6–10 cm | Cream-and-green marbled leaves | Collector / midground | 1,350 |
 Anubias Var King | 10–20 cm | Broad leaves marbled with cream-white | Large-tank centrepiece | 1,650 |
Prices are our current starter-size prices in India and may vary with size and availability. Every type below shares the same core needs: low to moderate light, a rhizome that must never be buried, and patience — Anubias is slow by design.
Plants marked pre-order are imported to order and ship in about 15 days; the rest are grown by us in Surat. See current sizes and stock on our Anubias plants for sale page, or go straight to rare Anubias such as Panda, Pinto and Var King.
The classic green Anubias types
1. Anubias Nana — the benchmark
The default choice and still the best all-rounder. Anubias Nana carries rounded, dark-green leaves on a compact rhizome and is close to indestructible — it tolerates low light, hard water and curious fish without complaint. Tie it to driftwood or rock in the midground and forget about it. Torn between the small forms? Our Nana vs Petite vs Gold comparison settles it.
2. Anubias Barteri var. Glabra
A larger, elegant Anubias with smooth, lance-shaped leaves. Anubias Glabra fills the midground-to-background of a 2–4 ft tank beautifully and is one of the quicker growers in the genus — all at the same ₹90 entry price as Nana.
3. Anubias Congensis
Anubias Congensis holds narrow, lance-shaped leaves upright, making a robust, architectural background statement. It pairs naturally with Cryptocoryne and looks especially good behind rounded-leaf types like Nana.
4. Anubias ‘Coffeefolia’
Anubias Coffeefolia is a premium form with deeply ridged, textured leaves; new growth emerges coffee-brown before maturing to glossy green. The two-tone effect makes it a natural midground focal point.
5. Anubias ‘Dragon Claw’
Anubias Dragon Claw grows twisted, claw-like leaves with a dramatic, sculptural look — a conversation piece mounted on driftwood, and surprisingly affordable at ₹90.
6. Anubias Var King
The giant of the lineup. Anubias Var King produces broad leaves up to hand size and makes a bold centrepiece for large aquariums. A slow-grown collector plant, priced accordingly. Our Var King plants carry cream-white marbling on their leaves, as the product photos show.
The small and coloured Anubias types
7. Anubias Nana Petite
The nano-tank staple. Anubias Nana Petite keeps tiny 1–2 cm leaves in dense clusters — perfect for foreground stones, shrimp tanks and detailed aquascapes. It is the slowest grower of all, so buy the size you want to see.
8. Anubias Nana Gold
Anubias Nana Gold swaps deep green for a golden-lime glow that lights up against dark wood and shaded corners. Same easy care as regular Nana; see our Nana Gold care guide for specifics.
9. Anubias Chili
A compact collector’s type, Anubias Chili carries narrow leaves with warm, bronze-tinted new growth — subtle colour for the foreground of a nano scape without the price tag of the white forms.
The variegated and white Anubias types
Variegated Anubias carry less chlorophyll, so they grow even more slowly and appreciate slightly brighter light and clean, stable water. None of them need CO2 — just patience and a little respect.
10. Anubias Nana White
Anubias Nana White is the entry point to white Anubias: a variegated Nana with creamy-white marbled leaves at a price that will not sting if you are trying your first premium plant.
11. Anubias Pinto
One of the most sought-after variegates, Anubias Pinto shows heavy white marbling on compact leaves and is generally the hardiest of the white types — the one we recommend first.
12. Anubias Snow White
Anubias Snow White takes variegation to the extreme, with leaves that are mostly white. A true collector’s plant that prefers gentle light and pristine water.
13. Anubias Stardust
Rare and instantly recognisable, Anubias Stardust has dark green leaves dusted with fine white speckles — like a night sky in miniature.
14. Anubias Panda
Anubias Panda delivers the highest contrast of the group: bold black-green and white patches on every leaf. A statement plant for a shaded, hardscape-heavy layout.
15. Anubias Marble
Anubias Marble spreads cream-and-green marbling across larger, barteri-sized leaves — variegation with real presence in a bigger tank.
16. Anubias Butterfly
Anubias Butterfly finishes the list, though it is not variegated: it is a green cultivar with rounded, slightly wavy leaves — a premium, slow-growing plant that rewards a stable, mature tank.
Other Anubias species you may come across
The 16 types above are the ones grown for aquariums and sold in India. You will also see a few wild species named in books and forums. They are rarer in the Indian hobby. We now stock three of them: Anubias gracilis, Anubias heterophylla and the round-leaved Anubias barteri ‘Coin Leaf’. Here is how to recognise each.
Anubias gracilis
Anubias gracilis comes from West Africa and is easy to spot: its leaves are triangular to arrow-shaped and sit on long, thin stalks. It grows taller than Nana, so it suits the back of a large tank, a paludarium or a riparium where the leaves can rise above the water. Care is the same as any Anubias: rhizome above the substrate, low to medium light and patience. It is now available here: Anubias gracilis.
Anubias barteri ‘Coin Leaf’
Anubias barteri ‘Coin Leaf’ is a barteri form with small, almost perfectly round, coin-shaped leaves on a tough creeping rhizome. The leaves are dark green and glossy, it grows slowly, and it is happy in low to moderate light without CO₂, so it stays largely algae-free under sensible lighting. Tie or glue the rhizome to wood or rock and never bury it. You can buy Anubias Coin Leaf here.
Anubias afzelii
Anubias afzelii, also from West Africa, has long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves and becomes a tall plant. It is best treated as a background or emersed plant rather than a foreground one.
Anubias heterophylla and Anubias hastifolia
These two Central African species grow large. Heterophylla has variable, wavy-edged leaves on long stalks, and hastifolia has spear-shaped leaves. Both are more at home in very big tanks or grown emersed than in a typical home aquarium. We now stock Anubias heterophylla for anyone who wants a large wavy-leaved Anubias. If you want a large green Anubias for the background, Anubias Barteri var. glabra or Anubias Congensis give a similar look and are far easier to find.
How to choose the right Anubias type
- By tank size: nano tanks suit Nana Petite, Chili and Nana; standard 2–3 ft tanks suit Nana, Nana Gold, Coffeefolia and Dragon Claw; large tanks can carry Glabra, Congensis and Var King.
- By budget: the ₹90 workhorses (Nana, Petite, Gold, Glabra, Dragon Claw) cover most scapes; ₹200–450 buys character (Congensis, Coffeefolia, Butterfly, Chili, Nana White, Pinto, Snow White); ₹1,000+ is collector territory (Stardust, Panda, Marble, Var King). The same type can be priced differently between shops, so compare leaf counts too, as our store comparison of Anubias.in and Bunnycart does.
- By light: green types are happiest in genuinely low light; white and variegated forms want moderate light to hold their colour — still no CO2 required.
Care is the same for every type
Whichever variety you choose, the rules do not change: never bury the rhizome, attach the plant to driftwood or rock, keep light low to moderate, and change some water weekly. Every plant on this page also sits near the top of our list of aquarium plants that don’t need CO2 — none of them require injection at any stage. If leaves yellow or melt, it is almost always light, a buried rhizome or a big parameter swing rather than the variety itself.
Anubias plant types: FAQ
Which Anubias type is best for beginners?
Anubias Nana. It is the cheapest, the most forgiving and the easiest to place. Nana Gold and Glabra are equally easy if you want colour or height.
How many types of Anubias are there?
Botanically there are only a handful of species, but dozens of named cultivars exist in the hobby. The 16 varieties above are the ones we sell across India. Most are grown by us in Surat; the rarer ones marked pre-order are imported to order from overseas suppliers.
Do white and variegated Anubias need CO2?
No. They grow more slowly and prefer slightly brighter light and clean water, but like every Anubias they thrive without CO2 injection.
Every plant above ships bare-root across India with our live-arrival guarantee. Ready to pick one? Browse the full range of Anubias plants in stock right now, or start with a ₹90 Nana and see why this genus has a cult following.
Grown in Surat (pre-order plants imported to order) · live-arrival guarantee with a 4-hour unboxing video · ₹99 shipping, free from ₹999
