The Origins of Eleocharis "Belem," "Japanese Hairgrass," and Eleocharis "sp. Mini"
- Thread starter Matt F.
- Start date
There were quite a few creeks and streams in SF back in the day. Many are diverted via piping now. There are still tons of springs that pop up all over the place. We have a diverted creek in our backyard. It has actually been piped. I'll have to keep an eye out for some and snap some pictures.
Solcielo lawrencia said:
And here's the pot of Tropica's tissue cultured E. 'Mini', via a dealer in Portugal:
Divided and planted in a ten gallon tank with high light and CO2.
View attachment 15092
Divided and planted in a ten gallon tank with high light and CO2.
View attachment 15092
Nice! Thank you for the picture, and thanks to Tom for providing the original culture to Tropica. "Sp. Mini" is really one of my favorite low-maintenance foreground plants.
I have some of the original stuff that Aqua Forest Aquarium imported (5-6+ years ago) growing in my 60P. Got my starter clump from members of the San Francisco Bay Area Aquatic Plant Society. It's harder to get in the US since Tropica doesn't sell here. That said, I think more hobbyists grow the plant now than in the past, so that is a good thing. My emersed tank was started from some stuff AFA imported last year (2014)., marketed as "Eleocharis Sp. Japan."
I have some of the original stuff that Aqua Forest Aquarium imported (5-6+ years ago) growing in my 60P. Got my starter clump from members of the San Francisco Bay Area Aquatic Plant Society. It's harder to get in the US since Tropica doesn't sell here. That said, I think more hobbyists grow the plant now than in the past, so that is a good thing. My emersed tank was started from some stuff AFA imported last year (2014)., marketed as "Eleocharis Sp. Japan."
Chris Noto said:
Did Eleocharis belem get its name from the town of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel%C3%A9m
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Don't know. This same species is also called Eleocharis Sp. Japan and Eleocharis Sp. Mini (Tropica). Belem probably refers to the location you mentioned. As for the origins, who knows!
Crispino Ramos said:
Eleocharis "belem" is now available commercially in the USA!
http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/678617000036.htm
http://www.aquariumplants.com/product_p/678617000036.htm
Oopsie! That link is dead, but another one has popped up, at Aquatic Mag dot com, out of Charlton, Mass. P.S. I seem to have found a hole in the Vbulletin user interface. I'd love to delete the "Photo Attachment" below, but can't figure out how to do it. Any tips? Anyone? Anyone?Matt F. said:
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Chris Noto said:Oopsie! That link is dead, but another one has popped up, at Aquatic Mag dot com, out of Charlton, Mass. P.S. I seem to have found a hole in the Vbulletin user interface. I'd love to delete the "Photo Attachment" below, but can't figure out how to do it. Any tips? Anyone? Anyone?
And now it's back! (At aquariumplants.com) Sheesh.
E
emartny
Guest
What's the best way to plant this? Does it come in that fiberglass mesh that most plants come in? If so, whats the best way to take it out of that without damaging the plant? Thinking of getting some on aquarium plants dot com.
emartny said:
The "Belem" that I got came in a Tropica tissue culture cup, roots growing in a bit of agar that washed off easily in some warm water.
There is a pic of that cup and the plants "up thread" a bit.
For those still interested in the taxonomy of Eleocharis, here are some links.
https://www.gbif.org/species/2716791
https://www.ipni.org/n/30003459-2
Kew recognizes 295 species in the genus. I'm pretty sure Eleocharis "belem" is just a name given to one of these valid/accepted species. Like Tom pointed out, E. belem doesn't grow like E. acicularis so we can probably exclude that species.
https://www.gbif.org/species/2716791
https://www.ipni.org/n/30003459-2
Kew recognizes 295 species in the genus. I'm pretty sure Eleocharis "belem" is just a name given to one of these valid/accepted species. Like Tom pointed out, E. belem doesn't grow like E. acicularis so we can probably exclude that species.