Re: Why does E.Tenellus belong to E. family?

[Paul Krombholz <krombhol at teclink_net>]

>
>From: "Wong Chee Huey " <tyneside at singnet_com.sg>
>
>
>I've always wondered why E.Tenellus belongs to the sword family? It looks
>unlike any other swords that I know of. Others have a blade of leaf attached
>on the petiole but tenellus looks just like a narrow blade of grass.(blyxa
>sp)
>
>Moreover, tenellus propagate by runners which I do not see in other swords.
>I've never tried growing it on land. Does it send a flower stalk with
>plantlets growing on it?
>
I had an E. tenellus bloom last year, and it had the typical 
Echinodorus flowers, albeit very tiny and on thread-like stalks.  E. 
tenellus comes in   two varieties, according to Kasselmann, one with 
narrow, 1-2 mm wide, long leaves and the other with broader, but much 
shorter leaves.  I have both of them.  There are also three other 
Echinodorus species with runners:  E. quadricostatus, E. bolivianus, 
and E. angustifolius.
-- 
Paul Krombholz in well-watered central Mississippi, with rain the 
last 6 afternoons, but none today.