Mature size & growth rate

How big does Broad-leaved Anubias (Anubias barteri) get?

Also called Broad-leaved Anubias, Anubias Barteri.

More about broad-leaved anubias

About Broad-leaved Anubias

Anubias barteri · also called Broad-leaved Anubias, Anubias Barteri · houseplant

Broad-leaved Anubias is a slow-growing West African aquatic or semi-aquatic herb widely used in freshwater aquariums and paludariums. Its thick, dark-green, broadly ovate leaves are extremely hardy and shade-tolerant. Rhizomes must never be buried in substrate — attach to rocks or driftwood for best results.

Mature size: Leaves 10–20 cm long, 6–12 cm wide; overall plant spread 20–40 cm; rhizome extends slowly to 30+ cm over several years

Watch for — Algae on leaves: The slow growth rate makes leaves susceptible to algae colonisation, especially green spot algae. Reduce lighting duration or intensity, introduce algae-eating fish (Otocinclus, nerite snails), and avoid excess nutrients in the water column.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Broad-leaved Anubias is a naturally small plant — it stays shelf- and desk-sized for its whole life, so it never becomes a space problem. Indoors and in a pot, expect leaves 10–20 cm long, 6–12 cm wide. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — overall plant spread 20–40 cm; rhizome extends slowly to 30+ cm over several years — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

It grows mostly by adding leaves, offsets or a slightly wider rosette rather than gaining height — the footprint barely changes year to year.

Growth rate and years to mature

Broad-leaved Anubias 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: light feeder. benefits from liquid aquarium fertiliser dosed at half the recommended rate weekly. co2 supplementation is not necessary but slightly accelerates the slow growth rate. root tabs near the fine roots can provide supplemental nutrition.

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

How to keep broad-leaved anubias smaller

Good news — broad-leaved anubias barely needs managing. If you do want to keep it tidy:

You rarely need to do anything: broad-leaved anubias is so slow that it can sit in the same small pot for years.
Keeping it slightly pot-bound and easing back on feed naturally caps the size.
Pinch or remove the oldest, tiredest leaves so energy goes into a compact, fresh-looking plant.

How to grow broad-leaved anubias bigger or faster

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

Move it to brighter (but not scorching) light — that is the single biggest growth lever for a small plant.
A small step up in pot size every couple of years gives the roots a little more room without triggering a size jump.
Feed lightly through the growing season; this plant simply will not race however hard you push it.

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

When broad-leaved anubias outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for broad-leaved anubias:

Roots circling the bottom or pushing out of the drainage hole — it wants a pot one size up, not a bigger room.
Offsets crowding the surface so the original plant looks squashed.
Honestly, broad-leaved anubias rarely outgrows a room — outgrowing its pot is the only realistic limit.

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

Broad-leaved Anubias size — frequently asked questions

How big does broad-leaved anubias get?

Broad-leaved Anubias reaches leaves 10–20 cm long, 6–12 cm wide when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (overall plant spread 20–40 cm; rhizome extends slowly to 30+ cm over several years). It grows mostly by adding leaves, offsets or a slightly wider rosette rather than gaining height — the footprint barely changes year to year.

Is broad-leaved anubias slow or fast growing?

Broad-leaved Anubias 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. Broad-leaved Anubias is a naturally small plant — it stays shelf- and desk-sized for its whole life, so it never becomes a space problem.

How long does broad-leaved anubias 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 broad-leaved anubias smaller?

You rarely need to do anything: broad-leaved anubias is so slow that it can sit in the same small pot for years. Keeping it slightly pot-bound and easing back on feed naturally caps the size. Pinch or remove the oldest, tiredest leaves so energy goes into a compact, fresh-looking plant.

How can I make broad-leaved anubias grow bigger or faster?

Move it to brighter (but not scorching) light — that is the single biggest growth lever for a small plant. A small step up in pot size every couple of years gives the roots a little more room without triggering a size jump. Feed lightly through the growing season; this plant simply will not race however hard you push it.