Mature size & growth rate

How big does Anubias hastifolia (Anubias hastifolia) get?

Also called spear-leaf Anubias, tall Anubias.

More about anubias hastifolia

About Anubias hastifolia

Anubias hastifolia · also called spear-leaf Anubias, tall Anubias · tropical

Anubias hastifolia is a large African aquatic aroid recognised by arrow- or spear-shaped leaves with distinct basal lobes on long petioles. A bold background plant for sizeable aquariums and paludariums, it is hardy and slow-growing, attached to wood or rock and fed from the water column under low to moderate light.

Mature size: Leaves 12-20 cm long on long stalks; plants commonly reach 30-50 cm tall with a wide rhizome spread.

Watch for — Algae on large leaves: Big, slow leaves accumulate green-spot and beard algae under bright light. Lower light intensity and add circulation.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Anubias hastifolia does not get tall — it gets long. Size here is about stem length and how you train or cut it, not how much floor it claims. Indoors and in a pot, expect leaves 12-20 cm long on long stalks. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — plants commonly reach 30-50 cm tall with a wide rhizome spread. — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

Growth shows up as lengthening stems that trail down or climb up a support; the plant can be kept tiny or grown metres long from the exact same root system.

Growth rate and years to mature

Anubias hastifolia is a slow grower. Realistically, expect many years — it gains very little each season, so it can hold the same shelf-sized footprint for 5-10+ years. Its feeding profile backs this up: feed through the water column with a complete liquid aquatic fertiliser supplying iron, potassium and trace elements. root tabs help little. co2 supplementation increases growth rate and leaf size on this larger species.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the anubias hastifolia repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast anubias hastifolia grows.

How to keep anubias hastifolia smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For anubias hastifolia specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — anubias hastifolia takes hard cutting well and bushes out from the cut.
Cut just above a leaf node; each trimmed stem usually branches into two, so pruning makes it fuller, not sparser.
The cuttings root easily in water or mix, so "keeping it smaller" doubles as free new plants.
A trim once or twice a season is usually enough to hold its length.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Decide the length you want. Pick the point each vine of anubias hastifolia should stop — you can be aggressive; it regrows readily.
Cut just above a node. Snip about 0.5 cm above a leaf node so the stem branches there instead of dying back.
Root the cuttings. Drop the trimmed pieces in water or mix — they root in 2-4 weeks and can fill the same pot for a bushier look.
Repeat as it runs. Re-trim whenever it overshoots; regular light pruning keeps it both smaller and fuller.

How to grow anubias hastifolia bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for anubias hastifolia the accelerators are:

More (indirect) light dramatically lengthens the vines and enlarges the leaves.
Give it something to climb — many vines grow far faster and bigger up a support than trailing.
Feed through spring and summer and keep it consistently watered while it is actively running.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The anubias hastifolia light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When anubias hastifolia outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for anubias hastifolia:

Vines pooling on the floor or wrapping past where you want them — purely a trimming cue, not a repot one.
Bare, leggy stems with leaves only at the tips (usually a light problem, not a size one).
A tangled mass that has outrun its support and needs cutting back and re-training.

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the anubias hastifolia repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the anubias hastifolia propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Anubias hastifolia size — frequently asked questions

How big does anubias hastifolia get?

Anubias hastifolia reaches leaves 12-20 cm long on long stalks when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (plants commonly reach 30-50 cm tall with a wide rhizome spread.). Growth shows up as lengthening stems that trail down or climb up a support; the plant can be kept tiny or grown metres long from the exact same root system.

Is anubias hastifolia slow or fast growing?

Anubias hastifolia is a slow grower. Expect many years — it gains very little each season, so it can hold the same shelf-sized footprint for 5-10+ years. Anubias hastifolia does not get tall — it gets long. Size here is about stem length and how you train or cut it, not how much floor it claims.

How long does anubias hastifolia take to reach full size?

Roughly many years — it gains very little each season, so it can hold the same shelf-sized footprint for 5-10+ years. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep anubias hastifolia smaller?

Trim the longest vines back to the length you want — anubias hastifolia takes hard cutting well and bushes out from the cut. Cut just above a leaf node; each trimmed stem usually branches into two, so pruning makes it fuller, not sparser. The cuttings root easily in water or mix, so "keeping it smaller" doubles as free new plants. A trim once or twice a season is usually enough to hold its length.

How can I make anubias hastifolia grow bigger or faster?

More (indirect) light dramatically lengthens the vines and enlarges the leaves. Give it something to climb — many vines grow far faster and bigger up a support than trailing. Feed through spring and summer and keep it consistently watered while it is actively running.