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Re: becketii ID



In a message dated 8/8/03 5:14:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
Aquatic-Plants-Owner at actwin_com writes:

> he inflorescence itself is 3.5 inches long from the
> bottom of the kettle to the top.  The inside of the
> limb (which is slightly twisted) is purple.  Some of
> the purple color shows through to the outside of the
> limb.  The throat is purple near the top and white
> further down.  The outside of the kettle and the tube
> are white.  I can't see any distinct collar.  

Caven:

From the above description it really sounds more like wendtii to me. Also, 
are you sure this purple throat area near the top isn't actually a collar? That 
would nail it for sure.

The becketii flower on one version of the plant I maintain are mostly a 
yellowish green with a distinct groove in the untwisted flag.  This is classic 
beckettii and while mine bloom fairly regularly, they have never done so for me in 
submerged culture. What do you suppose initiated this underwater flowering 
cycle? I'd be curious to know your opinion and please feel free to speculate.

OTOH, I have another becketii morph, presented to me as "petchi," whose 
flower more closely resembles that of triploid undulatus. Jan Bastmeijer's "Crypt 
Pages" are an excellent reference for Crypt ID and all matters Cryptocoryne. A 
very state of the art resource.  <A HREF="http://users.bart.nl/~crypts/index.html";>Click here: Cryptocoryne</A> 

Still, some of the distinctions between taxa are a little less than perfectly 
clear, especially so with becketii. However, this apparent paradox simply 
reflects the current, widespread taxonomical chaos so many species of plant are 
heir to. 

It's all part of the fun and probably says more about people than plants.

Bob Olesen in tornado torn West Palm Beach


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