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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #708
>Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 10:40:47 -0800
>From: "Dixon, Steven T. (Exchange)" <stdixon at ben_bechtel.com>
>Subject: Micranthemoides
>
>Someone mentioned using Micranthemoides as a carpet plant the other day.
>I want to take a moment a try to figure out which plant we're talking
>about. There is a small plant from SE USA and Cuba with whorls of 3-4
>pointed ovate leaves which looks a bit like a star from a distance.
>This is identified as Hemianthus micranthemoides in Baensch Atlas vol.
>1, Kasselmann's book and Pablo Tepoot's new book. Baensch lists a
>common name of "Pearlweed." It does indeed cover the gravel quickly and
>will grow both horizontally and vertically. It is a robust and lovely
>little plant with many uses. I have used it as ground cover and also let
>it grow to 20 inches in height! Amano's books appear to routinely
>"misidentify" this plant as Micranthemum micranthemoides. I had a hard
>time noticing this, perhaps because I didn't realize how small this
>plant really is in the pictures of Amano's tanks.
Steve,
I've been seeking an answer to this for years too but so far,no one has
mentioned how these two names are related/not related! :-)
So,forming my own conclusion,i would say that Hemianthus = Micranthemum.
And they are used "interchangebly".
Can someone correct me or agree with me here? :-P
>There is another plant named Micranthemum umbrosum, also from the SE
>USA, with opposite roundish paired leaves which are not pointed. I have
>no experience with this plant, but it looks (from the pictures) like it
>grows quite similarly to H. micranthemoides. I gather that these two
>plants were at one time regarded as member of the same genus, but no
>longer.
The M.Umbrosum is becoming more available here in Singapore these past 6
months or so and I find that it is just as easy to cultivate the Umbrosum
as the Micranthemoides. "Texture"-wise,of course the roundish leaves of the
Umbrosum makes for its "round and cute" properties as opposed to the more
"bushy" Micranthemoides.
As far as a carpet plant is concerned,i tend to see the M.Micranthemoides
grow along the gravel ONLY when the lights are intensely strong.
Otherwise,they grow upwards and i've allowed them to grow up to over 2ft.
tall before!! At this height,they tend to become stringy at the
bottom..probably due to lack of light.
I've tried "experimenting" with them by planting them sideways! This is
where the two ends are buried in the gravel. To my surprise,i found that in
this position it would encourage plantlets to grow from the nodes. So this
is one way to grow Micranthemoides in quantity fast and thick! ;-)
On that note,i would say that the Micranthemoides is more of a bush plant
than a carpet one. ;-)
Khew