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Re: E. cordifolius



Singapore Mickey wrote:

<<<I wouldn't recommend propagating Echinodorus from seeds unless you are
hybridizing them. You get plantlets faster vegetatively. In the case of my
emersed Echinodorus, once they start to flower, they don't stop.

Does anyone knows which Echindorus can hybridize with each other? It seems
that E. horemani is a hot favorite for hybridization with other
Echinodorus. Then again, anyone tried hybridizing Echinodorus?>>>

My response:

From my perspective, Hybridization is something you want to prevent unless
you think the traites you are going to get from the hybridized plant will
be complementary.  Case in point; when the green wild-type E. cordifolius
is grown with the hybrid Marble Queen a plantlet is produced that for me is
not commercially viable.  It is more difficult to grow than the wild type
and has only a fraction of the mottled verigation of the Marble queen. I
take certain precautions to prevent inadvertent hybridization.

Sort of like, never growing Scotch Bonnet or even Jalopineos near sweet
peppers or your next veggie salad will be hotter than Tai soup!

I would tend to discourage amature hybridization though, b/c it tends to
produce swords of low esthetic value that enter the hobbie chain through
trades.  Like the "trash" guppies that show up in our LFS for $1.99.  Large
commercial operations have already eliminated the "trash" byproducts of
their hybridization attempts.  They propogate (via tissue culture) and sell
only those varieties demonstrated to have esthetic appeal in the
marketplace.  Aquiring these and  reproducing them asexually is much more
rewarding IMHO.


Florida Flagfish for Hairalgae Elimination:
http://floridadriftwood.com/floridaflagfish.htm