Unlike the commoner species from Sri Lanka, C. alba is a difficult plant suitable only for experienced growers. It is best cultivated in immersed pots with a fertile, acidic substrate and medium lighting. Established plants do not produce runners but form dense clumps up to 20 cm tall. The specific name stems from the white limb of the inflorescence, but this may be purplish-red in some populations. The leaves may be olive green, red or brown, with a long petiole that ends in a variably-shaped blade. As its cultivation suggests, C. alba grows in the wild by stream edges and has a very limited distribution in the rainforests of Sri Lanka's southwestern region.