Cryptocoryne x purpurea (Dennerle)

Dennerle describe this variety as:

 " a natural hybrid between Cryptocoryne griffithii and Cryptocoryne cordata. The variety described here comes from Borneo and has remarkable marbling on the leaf blades."

Not to be confused with Cryptocoryne purpurea which is a very different species of Crypt.  "Purpurea" is from the latin for purple and I have seen this plant growing in conditions where the mottling on the leaves takes on a distinct purple hue... or perhaps its named for the colour of the limb on the spathe *shrug*.  Its doing very well in this 45cm cube tank with a substrate of aquarium sand mixed with a little red clay and a fist-full of aquasoil.  I find its is very slow to get established - but once happy it will take off and spread via runners. The mottling on the leaves is more apparent in nutrient stressed plants. The Cordata group often flower in deep tanks where the spathes never break the surface of the water. This one is putting on a good show at 36cm in length but I suspect its not going to get long enough to reach the surface.

Cryptocoryne cordata var. siamensis "evae" spathe in jar culture

 

 Cryptocoryne cordata var. siamensis "evae" has been grown in Australia for decades. Cryptocoryne evae is an old names that is now considered a synonym of Cryptocoryne cordata var. siamensis.  This plant has much darker leaves in emersed culture compared to the submersed grown. 

This is a cutting from a plant I got just over a year ago.  Growing in a little peat and dirt in the bottom of a Moccona coffee jar.  I removed the plastic seal from the lid to allow a little gas exchage and the jar sits on my window sill.  I haven't lifted the lid for 6 months... low maintenance indeed and the plant appears happy.

Another Cryptocoryne albida 'costata' (Dennerle Cryptocoryne costata) spathe

A follow up from the previous post to show another spathe

The Cryptarium

Made from a 6x2x2 aquarium that could no longer be used for water because the silicon holding the braces gave way.  I removed the bracing and rolled the tank onto its side so the opening is now on the front.

A new piece of polished glass is siliconed across the bottom of the opening to hold the water.   The opening is closed off by a piece of twin-wall polycarbonate with a couple of cable grommets installed as vents and handles.  On a hot day the afternoon sun through the window was pushing the air temp to 40+C before the vents were installed.  Some corrugated translucent polycarbontate sits between the tank and the window to diffuse the direct sun.

To keep it neat and tidy I mounted the heater in a DIY PVC external enclosure in the cabinet.  The base of the tank is drilled at each end and bulkheads are installed that allow a loop of 16/22mm hose lagged with closed cell foam to connect the tank to the heater chamber.  It works by thermosiphon without a pump.  Hot water rises from the heater into the tank at one end and cooler water sinks out of the bulkead at the other end of the tank and circulates back down to the heater.  The heater is set to 20C.

This new growing space replaces a couple of the polystyrene boxes I was using.

The "Baptism Tub" Cryptarium

A church was selling this "Baptism Tub" on ebay- its a big industrial plastic tub that I've put on a base of milk crates with a timber frame around it to stop it bowing out from the pressure of the water inside.  I'm growing crypts on a row of inverted milk crates inside the tub.  This allows the tub to hold a large volume of water to help stabilise the temperature.  We have vary variable weather here and my glasshouse temperature fluctuates wildly and can get screaming hot in summer.  A sheet of greenhouse plastic over the top keeps the warmth and humidity in while its cool... but in summer I'll switch to shadecloth so it breathes a bit better and I have some misters on a timer to cool the air down.  In winter I'll have to put a heater in the tub as its common for the water to get below 7C.