Bolbitis heteroclita

[rickwrench]

An single errant stem with three emersed type leaves of bolbitis heteroclita (looks somewhat like poison ivy) was loose in the packing peanuts of a plant purchase last summer.
It had one tiny adventitious bud bump, so I stuck it to a big piece of bog wood in a large, well established, low tech planted tank.
No CO2, peat/dirt/creek sand/gravel/turface top layer. Soft water, low ph, about 2wpg.
It has been a very, very, slow grower. After four months, it has only 5-6 three inch stalks, with very small, bright green leaves. Pic link:

bolbitis-heteroclita.jpg

Anyone have any experience or tips growing this one?

Rick

 

[Tom Barr]

That's the gametophyte growing parasitically on the sporophyte.

I never had that much luck with the plant, seems to grow a little, but never does quite well.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[hydrophyte]

Hey Tom I meant to ask you, do you know what this fern is?

I found it growing in a river down in Jalisco. The frame on the right below shows the fertile fronds sticking up above the water. All of the regular fronds are borne underwater. The little goodeid livebearers sure like to hide in the foliage.