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Re: Echinodorus compacta
Robert H. wrote:
> Again, let me re-iterate, from what I have been able to find out,
> parviflorus var tropica is not a cultivar, and despite the name has nothing
> to do with Tropica plants. This is according to other databases besides
> Tropica such as Dennerle, Eheim, and a couple of others. I also found a
> write up about it in one of my plant books, but I cant remember which one.
> It is reffered to as a sub specie of parviflorus naitive to South America.
> Its listed in the Krib plant list as parviflorus var tropicO . The "wild"
> version you refer to is described as having black veins in the leaves, which
> is where the name Black Amazon comes from.
> All this talk about comparing plants to pictures, I would think people would
> know by now that many plants, particularly swords, can vary greatly in leaf
> shape, size, and color. It is impossible to go soley by pictures. For
> instance I have kept the cultivar, Indian red sword which as had large oval
> shaped leaves, and those with long tapered leaves like a Red rubin. I have
> raised 'Oriental' swords with different leaf shapes on the same plant.
My source of information about E. parviflorus 'Tropica' comes from
Kasselmann, Aquarienpflanzen, p. 262. Kasselmann calls it a divergent
(abweichende) form and says it was cultivated in Singapore and Sri Lanka,
and that Tropica got it in the early 1980's. It was described as E.
parviflorus Rataj 'Tropica' in a 1985 article in Aqua Planta (vol. 10, #3,
p. 15). I can not find the full reference to this article. Tropica calls
it a cultivar on their web page.
The 'Tropica' form has become so widespread that the original parviflorus
is hardly ever available to hobbyists. Kasselmann also discusses and
illustrates the original form, and that is what I have.
Paul Krombholz in chilly, central Mississippi, with frost this morning.