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Anubias, Pigmy Chain Sword
Subject: Re: Anubias identification
> While we are on on the subject of Anubias identification, has an
> verified the accuracy of the Anubias pictures on the following b
>
> System for a Problem Free Aquarium. Dennerle (1990)
> A Fishkeeper's Guide to Aquarium Plants. James, B. (1986)
> Aquarium Atlas 1. Baensch, H.A., Riehl, R
> Aquarium Plants Manual. Scheurmann, I. (1993) ?
The photos of A. barteri var. nana in all these books like normal
variation to mee. If I saw these plants unlabeled, that's what
I'd assume them to be. In the Schuermann book, the picture I
found (on page 65) is labeled as A. barteri, and that, too, is
what it looks like to me. UNDERNEATH the A. barteri are some
smaller leaves growing on shorter petioles, and _this_ looks like
it's probably nana.
> The reason I asked was when I compared the Anubias nana pictures
> books listed above, I found that they were quite different from
> Are Anubias nana and Anubias barteri var. nana two different pla
They are the same plant. For a while, it was thought that nana
might be a separate species. But under the most recent revision
of the genus, it is part of the barteri complex.
> In addition to the conflicting pictures, there were no good desc
> how to tell different species of Anubias apart. Does anybody hav
> way to tell them apart from the leaf shape/color, flower, size,
> I agree with Karen Randall's observation on the leaf size. It's
> reliable way to differentiate Anubias species/varieties since un
> brighter light, the leaf can grow larger.
It's not only lighting conditions that make the difference, nor is
it only a matter of leaf size. Even in nature, the plants are
very variable. I have an A. heterophyla that I've had for at least
6 years. Last summer it threw a few leaves with basal lobes
although all the leaves before and since then have been
lanceolate!
> Karen, do you know when your AFM article on Anubias will be publ
No I don't, but based on past experience, I'd hope to see it by
summer time.
> Does it describe ways to differentiate species/varieties ?
Yes, it includes descriptions of all species and varieties I've
run across in the trade and (hopefully) it will include photos of
several species and varieties.
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Subject: Pigmy chain sword reproduction
> I recently bought my first pigmy chain sword from the local fi
> store. It has runners extending out from the crown of the plant
> terminate in "nodes." The nodes have several short runners exte
> from them which have little balls on the end. There are several
> constructs on each of the plants.
This sounds like a pretty good description of the flower structure
of these plants to me! The runners, like those of VAls, are
formed beneath the substrate.
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Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Assoc.
Boston, MA