Cavan Allen

The green plant in post #14 has leaf veination consisting of parallel main veins going back to the base of the leaf and leaf margins that exclude it as a Ludwigia, even the woody ones like L. alternifolia (which does not grow submersed). L. repens doesn't grow that rigidly or have such long internodes either. You're right that many plants look drastically different above and below water, but that does have limits. The reddish plant on the right could well be a Ludwigia, but they aren't the same plant.

As far as the difference between L. palustris and L. repens goes, the former usually has longer petioles, somewhat narrow leaves and flowers with no petals. Leaf texture is a tad different too, but that's a bit tough to describe. Finally, if you've seen enough of it enough times out collecting when you were hoping to see something else for a change...

Esteroali

HMMM....come down to Florida and give me a field trip! Housing provided. Hopefully I will have a DEP permit by then.Does your profession involve plants? Or do you just research. If so where and how? Do you use keys? I find therm drastically intimidating.

gravy9

I envy you guys living near ditches and in warm weather. Would like to move there some time...

Bunbuku

Dave your are a real plant ! I tell my kids to stay away from ditches and here you are diving in.... I am glad you work in a place where you can feed your habit. In Houston, we have the concrete "bayous" which are pretty nasty and not conducive to aquatic plants, though I often see schools of fish swimming around in there.

These plants you found must be tolerant to heat and cycles of emersion and submersion. Were these brackish waters?

davemonkey

Bunbuku,

No, fresh water only, and I'm 90% sure the areas I looked in were not flooded with sea-water during Hurricane Ike. The couple plants that have yet to be ID'd (#3 and the grass) I've got in my tank growing out. They may turn out to be non-aquatics that can survive submerged for long periods (like botton-bush or some sedges, or some random plant I've not seen before) .

If you want to try some of these out in a tank let me know and I'll bring samples to the Jan NASH mtg. I'll be updating with results from what is in my tank and I'm sure I'll be looking for more plants to try out.

-Dave

davemonkey

Okay, I confirmed that the emersed stem I found is not akin to the submersed ludwigia it was growing with. I found another of the emersed stem with submersed growth that was identical to the emersed. I suppose if I waited until the plants started maturing and flowering it would be MUCH easier to tell what is what.

Anyway, I went out to another road today and found TONS of what I am thinking is Ludwigia glandulosa. Also found some Sagittaria sp (I think graminea, but too young to tell) and another plant I think may be a Rumex sp, but again, can't really tell.

I'm going to slow down on plant hunting until some mature growth/flowers start showing up so it won't be such a guessing game. In the meantime, here are the latest finds:

Possibly a Rumex, young plant, not truely aquatic



Sagittaria sp



Ludwigia glandulosa (I think)



Tune in this Spring/Summer for more (and with positive ID's) !
-Dave

richardesc

Wow. Awesome find. You are lucky to have such place near you ( "just outside the office").
Thanks a lot for sharing. Keep us posted of your discoveries.

Darksome

free plants in your own backyards?! I can't believe it, I wonder if we have anything like that in Southern California, it has always been a fantasy of mine to go to aquatic plant collecting.

davemonkey

It really is great fun! Just this Thursday I found some Proserpinaca pectinata (Comb-leaf Mermaid weed) and some more L. glandulosa while at work. No pictures because the camera died and I couldn't get "natural" photos. But I'll go back there and get some good shots in a few weeks.

-Dave

Valthenya

It must be nice living near all that water, out here in the desert the only place you'll find aquatic plants is a lake or the fish store lol!! Even the canals out here are concrete