Monday, 12 July 2021

Cryptocoryne x purpurea (Dennerle)



Cryptocoryne x purpurea (Dennerle)

Cryptocoryne x purpurea (Dennerle) spathe
Cryptocoryne x purpurea (Dennerle) in aquarium

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.