[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Hygrophila ID



>>>I have two plants in my 50g tank that are supposed to be
>>>Hygrophila/Nomaphila? stricta/corymbosa? I will like to know what are
>>>they, here is a briefly description of each one.
>>
>>I think you are correct. The first is H. cormybosa and the second,
>>Nomaphila stricta. That's how I label them. The former did not grow
>>well for me; the latter does very well. To myself, a non-botanist,
>>they appear quite dissimilar.
>>
>Thank you Dave for answering my post. If there anyone else that have some
comments about this. I4m curious why the books and other refer to this
plants as the same since they are so different.

Current thinking is that both of these plants are H. corymbosa.  

We tend to expect every plant of a speices to look like every other plant
of a species.  We don't expect that of people.  Much of the plant material
that is available commercially is propagated vegetatively, and therefore is
basically all the same plant.  When you have plants that are propagated
sexually, there is _much_ greater variation between specimens.  One only
has to visit New England in the fall and see the amazing variation of
asters (all one species) to see this.  There are tall pale ones, short
bright purple ones, ones that sprawl and others that grow in compact
mounds.  This is also the reason that most gardeners pull volunteer phlox
seedlings... They might be pretty, but they are probabaly not the same as
the near by parent that produced the seed.  

There are a number of different varieties and cultivars of H. corymbosa, as
well as a number of crosses available on the market.




Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association