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A. rigidifolia



Ed Hengle wrote:

>I've been growing A. rigidifolius or a closely related crispus hybrid,
>as well as several other A. sp, for a couple of years in my discus
>tanks. (very soft, acidic, still water, temp 85) In the tank that they
>do best, the plant seems to prefer being off to the side (not directly
>under the lights).  The 2 year old substrate around the plant is plain
>#2 gravel and the plants are surounded by E. tenelus, however there are
>Duplarit K balls under several nearby larger Echinodorus species.  The
>plant doesn't seem to have a dormant period where all the leaves die
>back like the other Aponogetons (this may be due to hybridizing) but it
>does have growth spurts. This is when they usually get to big for the
>tank (33 gal. flat back hex)and are donated to the club auction.  The
>plant grows long, narrow, green, slightly undulating 20+" leaves that
>sometimes get translucent patches along the leaf margins and also
>sometimes get a little spotty (presumably when they are not thrilled
>with what's going on around them.)  They put up a single white
>inflorescence.  The ones I now have were grown from seeds.  I've done a
>lot of cross pollinating with these plants and give the larger plants
>away, so I cannot attest to exactly what percent of the plant is
>rigidifolius but at least one of them still looks a lot like and fits
>the description of most of the ones pictured and described in the
>books.  Hope this helps.

Thanks for the input, Ed.  I'm interested to hear of your crosses.  I think
you've mentioned them before, but I have to admit that it went in on ear
(eye?<g>) and out the other because I haven't worked much with Aponos for a
number of years. (so many plants...so little tank space<sigh>)  

Do your hybrids have tubers like the crispus parent or a rhizome like the
rigidifolia?  My plant has a definite rhizome, with leaves spread along the
length.  Like other rhizome plants, new leaves tend to come on the growing
ends of the rhizome.  

As I mentioned in my last post, the information in various books is very
variable.  One source said that sexual propagation was "hardly possible".
Maybe you're having better luck because yours _is_ a hybrid.  The one thing
that all seem to agree on is that it doesn't undergo a rest period the way
most non-hybridized tuber growing Aponos do.

One thing I can already say is that this is going to be one massive plant.
The new leaves are already at the top of my 70G tank.