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Re: Banana plant




On Wed, 7 Jul 1999, Aquatic Plants Digest wrote:

>
> Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 22:32:32 -0400
> From: Johan Henckens <johan at mmdg_org>
> Subject: Banana plant
>
> My tank has two banana plants(Nymphoides aquatica) and they seem to be
> doing well.  The leaves (5 or 6 all the time) are bright green and grow
> to about 3 to 4 inches across.  The plants have always been sitting
> loose on top of the gravel and have anchored themselves by several
> roots(?) thereby pushing themselves up to a few inches above the gravel.
> About a week ago one of the plants started growing a shoot at a rate of
> between 3 and 4 inches a day, a curled-up leaf at the top.  The shoot is
> now 22 inches tall and has reached the surface.  The leaf in uncurled
> but seems to be hanging upside down.
[snip]

> What's happening here?  And what
> can I expect to be next?  I've read about this plant growing emersed
> leaves and then blooming.  Is that what's happening?  I haven't been
> able to find much information at all on this plant and was hoping that
> somebody here might know more.

The leaf should open up into a roughly circular, floating lily-pad affair.
It will probably be about as big around as the submersed leaves.  The
plants will probably keep putting up floating leaves.  If you don't like
the floating leaves than you *might* be able to discourage their further
growth by trimming them off.  I don't do that so don't take that as good
advise.

> Also what would be the proper way to propagate this plant?

I hope someone else will answer that, because I can't.


Roger Miller

in Albuquerque where the morning paper chortled over the news that our
precipitation for the year now totals 3.47 inches - above average for the
date.  Now can we knock off the arid west thread?  It has nothing much to
do with this hobby.