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Re: Val flowers



>From: "David Huie" <David.Huie at Bentley_COM>
>Subject: Valliseneria "strings"
>     
>     I just discovered three extremely long "strings" (up to 28" long) that 
>     have grown up out of the center of my very large Valliseneria asiatica 
>     (spiral val) and are draped across the surface of the water. They are 
>     pale green strings that have a thickened tip which looks like it could 
>     be a bud.  Is this the way vallesineria flower?

Yes.  When I used to keep Vals, they would flower quite regularly, but
I never managed to get any viable seeds.  Vegetative reproduction was
quite fast, though.
     
>     None of the buds have opened and I wondered if I needed to help them 
>     break contact with the water in order to encourage them to flower.

I've never seen the buds open, either, though the tips do come up a
few millimeters above the water.
     
>     Also, how large can I expect to get my echonidorus parviflorus (black 
>     amazon swords) to grow?  They are small, 12-leaved, and about 3" tall. 
>      I was hoping they'd grow to 8-9".  Any help out there?

Echinodorus parviflorus can get quite big. Eighteen inches is not too
rare.  It's not as big as E. bleheri and company.

-Shaji
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shaji Bhaskar                                              bhaskar at bnr_ca
BNR, 35 Davis Dr., RTP, NC 27709, USA                      (919) 991 7125