Re: Wet Leaves and Dry Leaves (was: Submergent/emergent)

["Katherine Yata" <k_yata at hotmail_com>]

Hi Rachel,

I'll tell you my experience, such as it is.

Rose swords. Once they develop the large leaves that go to the surface, 
that's it. They will only develop air leaves. You can prune them off which 
stunts the plant and immersed leaves will be formed again. The old leaves 
will die as they grow old which could happen faster as they are shaded. New 
immersed leaves won't grow, swords only grow from the crowns and the crown 
is growing emersed leaves now. If a plant has multiple crowns I don't know, 
no experience. If a water leaf is too tall for the tank, the leaf will 
shrivel up in the air leaving half a leaf.

Ammania. I am currently allowing a stem of A. gracilis to grow above the 
surface, tied back with a very loose rubber band so it doesn't flop over the 
whole tank. The old leaves are now gone after about two months. That would 
be a pretty normal leaf life span for this plant -in my tank. The aerial 
part is about a foot tall and branched from the lowest node that is out of 
the water. The node below that one is now growing a different kind of root 
as are the nodes that already had roots growing from them. New roots are 
white and much thicker.

Pennywort. It doesn't grow much out of the water but much prefers to grow at 
the surface. I don't see any branching of the stem until it reaches the 
surface. The underwater leaves and stems die off and I  pull up and replant 
every couple weeks. I don't know how long leaves and stems live at the 
surface as if I let the plants go another two weeks there wouldn't be any 
other plant in the tank getting any light! I think the immersed leaves are 
dying as they are too shaded.

Plant leaves cannot change once they are formed. The plants grow leaves that 
work for the environment they are in and each leaf has a life span. My 
ammania has not grown any new aquatic leaves since it went emergent. It 
would much rather be in the air! I haven't enough light to see in the room 
right now but I think a new leaf shoot is forming right at the surface.

So, all the leaves will change to the above water type leaves. Leaves under 
water will stay underwater. Underwater leaves will die off after a while 
which is perfectly normal.

Kathy in southern California where water is falling from the sky once again!

------------------------------------
cut-----------

When a plant is growing half in the water (wet leaves) and half
above the
water (dry leaves), do all the leaves change to the above-water
form? Or do
the ones under water stay in their wet form? Or do the ones
under water fall
off, leaving ugly bare stems?

Rachel





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