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Bolbitis, Limnobium and Lotus
>Subject: Bolbitis/ Limnobium/ Nelumbo
>
>hi,
>i have just bought a Bolbitis, which i saw at a local store. the leaves
>look horrid but i bought it because it has a nice, thick rhizome and i
>figure it's a healthy one. i would appreciate hearing about what this
>plant needs to prosper. i grow java fern and i have no problem with that
>one. the water in my tanks are generally acid and soft.
There seem to be at least two different "varieties" of Bolbitis around in
the hobby these days. One is the traditional B. heudelotii, which does
well in water that is quite soft. It has a shorter petiole, and curlier
leaves. The other is definitely Bolbitis, but the jury is still out whther
it is heudelotii or not. Claus Christensen is of the oppinnion that it is
a different species. It has a MUCH longer petiole, the leaves aren't as
curly, and is in general a much bigger plant. This one seems to grows
better with a little more hardness to the water. If you haven't grown
these two plants side-by-side it might be hard to tell them apart. Once
you do, there is no mistaking which is which.
Both types needed to be attached to something, the same way you handle Java
Jern. In my experience, though, Bolbitis grow better on driftwood, while
Java Fern doesn't care whether you use driftwood, rocks or the kitchen
sink.<g>
It is definitely a plant where "critical mass" is important. It took me
well over a year for my original small section of rhizome to get to the
point where I dared share a bit with anyone else. Now the larger type
takes up about 1/3 of a 70G tank. I take it out regularly, hack it in half
with a big kitchen knife to keep it in check. The same thing has happened
with the smaller type. I got my "start" about 15 months ago, and for quite
some time, I thought it just wasn't as robust as my older type. Now it too
has reached critical mass, and is starting to need regular dividing.
>i have some Limnobium but it refuses to do well for me. at first, it
>would produce lots of plantlets but never grow very big. now, the
>numbers are dwindling. i would appreciate hearing from anyone about what
>conditions it needs to thrive.
I grow it in my tub pond and in several aquariums. Some of the aquariums
have supplemental CO2, some don't it seems to be undemanding. It is bright
green, and produces offsets regularly. Maybe you don't have enough light
for it?
>finally, today i saw lotus plants being offered at my favorite orchid
>shop in chinatown. they were small plants being offered in buckets, many
>in bloom. has anyone tried growing them in buckets or large containers
>inside a home or apt.? would it grow well indoors?
I just found a wonderful book called "Water Gardening in Containers" by
Helen Nash ans C. Greg Speichert.Published by Sterling Publishing in 1996
ISBN 0-8069-8197-0. It shows many of these miniature lotus in small
containers. I'd give my eye teeth to get my hands one a couple!<g> They
do show some indoors, but my impression is that they need very bright light
to bloom indoors.
Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association