Plant ID

[csmith]

I got two plants from my LFS for crazy cheap today, as one wasn't labeled and the other grew from a twig they didn't know was in the tank. Can anyone ID either plant?

Mystery Plant 1 (the single stem in the center of the picture, covered in algae)

 

[csmith]

Mystery Plant 2 (bunched stems, roots growing from top of the plant to the bottom)

 

[Gerryd]

The second is hygro difformis and the first also looks suspiciously like a hygro as well.

Both are in very poor shape and the lfs should have paid YOU to take them....lol

I would prune the first down to the bare stem as those leaves are nasty.......trim the difformis as well.

Both will recover quickly if conditions overall are good..........

 

[Biollante]

Wisteria

Hi,

Hygrophila difformis is the full name of the plant, Gerry is as usual correct.

Water Wisteria likes iron but does not need much encouragement.

[attachment=580:name]

Biollante

 

[csmith]

Thanks to the both of you. I'd assume I have them both planted correctly (mystery plant 1 and wisteria just shoved into the substrate). Any advice on planting cryptocoryne wendtii and hygro kompakt? The crypt has all of the "flexible" roots beneath the substrate, but I left the harder root/undergrowth structure on top as I wasn't sure what to do with it. The kompakt has one main, super thick stem in the center and I buried that stem's root structure beneath the substrate. However, it also has three smaller branches that have roots coming from all over and just flowing in the water. Should these two off-shoots be removed?, or is it meant to branch off like this?

 

[Gerryd]

Hi,

Crypts should be planted with the roots under the gravel but the rosette where the stems originate should be above the substrate.....Many crypts will produce runners UNDER the substrate and pop up all around the 'mother' plants..these will eventually get quite thick.. most crypts can do well in shaded areas but many do enjoy and grow well in higher light levels with c02 and proper fert dosing...

I see you have stems bundled with the lead.. Remove the lead and plant each stem separately or most 1-2 together. They will grow and spread and you can guage the growth.. if packed too tightly they look nice but will not grow well......

Stems should be separated and spaced according to growth patterns and size..

The compakt will do well as any other stem.. stems produce many roots from mid stem and other areas.. these tend to break off and replant elsewhere.....it is another way for the plant to reproduce...

Hygro, rotala, etc share this trait...

You can plant the offshoots as they get larger. If they have roots, secure them in the substrate or move them to another area if large enough...

Hope this helps.

 

[dutchy]

The first one looks more like Ammania Senegalensis to me.
http://www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/plantprofiles/ammaniasenegalensis.html

regards,
dutchy

 

[csmith]

I pulled all of the leaves off of the first, so it's just a stick again. Once it grows back healthy I'll throw up some new pictures to see if it's any more clear. Thanks guys.

 

[csmith]

There's new growth on my mystery plant, hopefully it'll make an identification easier. One thing I have noticed is that over night, when the lights are off, all of the leaves rise together like they're closing. In the first week I had this plant it "ejected" a few sets of leaves. 3-4 leaves were connected together by a hard brown something-or-another in the middle, and they floated around the tank. No roots or anything, just a few connected leaves.

 

[csmith]

Anyone? Don't make me go to my LFS and ask, they'll tell me its crabgrass.

 

[Biollante]

Unknown Plants

Hi,

I should know the name of the plant, I have them growing all over the place.

They grow fast and from nothing and will grow up out of the tank. It is apparently from moderate climate as it grows even here, low humidity, year-round. :gw

[attachment=598:name]

Biollante

 

[argnom]

It could be an Echinodorus. Perhaps Echinodorus macrophyllus from the leaves.

Not certain about this one...

Just a guess.

The thing is, I think Echinodorus is a rosette plant. Not a stem plant...

 

[Gerryd]

Hi,

I am pretty sure that Echinodorus are rosettes...

Could it be Saururus cernuus?

http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/node/402

 

[fjf888]

It looks suspiciously to me like a small Hygrophila Polysperma. I have had a hard time eradicating this plant from my low tech tank. It looks like when I cut it down to the bottom and leave a little nub stem, and sure enough it grows out again. I don't pull these out because they root well and I have a gravel topped soil substrate.

As for the Kompact, that grows like mad you can break it off and plant it like any other stem plant. In the right conditions mine grow 8 to 10 inches tall and spread out quite a bit, it requires some maintenance to keep the plant "compact".

Fred

 

[Biollante]

Hygrophila Polysperma?

Hi,

No, it is definitely not Echinodorus macrophyllus or any Echinodorus spp.

I can quite well rule out Lizards tail, Saururus cernuus. http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/e_Saururus_cernuus.php

It is a common stem plant; I should know the name but just do not.

I lean toward the Hygrophila Polysperma, in fact I labeled one as that, it may be there are a number of variants. I certainly have the experience of cutting them off at or even beneath the substrate and in days they grow back. Leaves on the surface of the water develop roots quite quickly. I have had them grow to nearly 3-feet (90-cm) as opposed to the 1.3 feet (40-cm) listed by Tropica http://www.tropica.com/productcard_1.asp?id=050

[attachment=604:name]

[attachment=605:name]

Hygrophila Polysperma, perhaps.

Thanks everyone.

Biollante

 

[csmith]

As Biollante said, thanks all for the effort. I'll go with hygro polysperma. My LFS' supplier's website doesn't have Echinodorus macrophyllus or Saururus cernuus, but they do have Hygrophila polysperma.