Crypts are interesting and beautiful aquatic plants, but with fewer growers and tight import restrictions we're now losing varieties from cultivation in Australia. I'm propagating crypts to pass on to other growers to keep them in the aquarium hobby and building a resource to help with identification. I'm always looking to buy or swap for new varieties to grow.
Friday, 13 January 2017
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. flaccidifolia vs. Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
What I am calling Crypt. crispatula var. flaccidifolia (left) vs Crypt. crispatula var. balansae 'red stem' (right). Ive grown the flaccidifolia for over 10 years thiking it was a limp variety of balansae. Some people also grow a similar looking palnt and call it C. retrospiralis but based on the description for C. retrospiralis on the Crypts pages I think this is incorrect. The characters that distinguish it are the limper leaves (more flaccid!) and the undulating margins of the leaves compared to the balansae that usually has a straight margin and bullate blade.
There are a number of varieties of Crypt. crispatula var. balanasae in Australia - this one is the 'red stem' variety where the petioles and central vein can be quite a dark red. There are others with creamy white petioles and veins that I unimaginatively call Crypt. crispatula var. balanasae 'green' to distinguish it.
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