Hygrophila sp. 'Guinea' stinks! - Plant Physiology & Emersed Culture

Cavan Allen · 06-22-2009, 02:15 PM

Literally! I have a stem that's been growing up above the water in my 40 and all the way up to the lights, where it has unfortunately become a tad singed. Therefore, I decided to move it outside. Well before I moved it, I noticed that when emersed, it has a disagreeable odor reminiscent of burned rubber bands. If I touch the plant, that smell can be pretty tough to wash off! No flowers yet, but I'm trying. The stem below is almost a foot across and almost three feet tall.

I've taken and uploaded a lousy photo of it. As soon as I post this, I'm off to scrub my hands.

Tex Gal · 06-22-2009, 02:55 PM

LOL! That's so funny. I'm amazed that it's so big also. The leaves look at least 6". Maybe it's the px....

Cavan Allen · 06-22-2009, 03:23 PM

It really is that big. The stem at the bottom is about as thick as my finger. I've still got that smell on my fingers!

ashappard · 06-22-2009, 03:37 PM

he he!
glad I didnt pick that one for flowers.

HeyPK · 06-22-2009, 06:40 PM

Hygrophila seems to have a variety of defensive chemicals. H. balsamica when grown emersed has a poison strong enough that an emersed stem is said to kill the fish. I wonder if any of the other Hygrophila species have powerful defensive chemicals.

rich815 · 06-22-2009, 07:34 PM

Wow, that is very different looking than what I understand the plant looks like submersed. Allen, can you confirm if the plant indeed looks like this submersed? See here:

http://www.guitarfish.org/2009/01/07...hila-sp-guinea

I have two stems growing of that.

hydrophyte · 06-22-2009, 07:39 PM

when i was a little kid we had milking goats for a while. earlier this spring i grew some H. angustifolia emersed--it adapted readily--and it had a musky stench like a billy goat...made our whole house smell just like the barn when we had goats in there. i found this intriguing, but got tired with it after a few days and stuck the plant back underwater.

here is a macro shot of a bloom on that plant. the foliage was covered with those fine hairs, which were sticky with an oil that created the strong goat odor.

Cavan Allen · 06-22-2009, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeyPK

Hygrophila seems to have a variety of defensive chemicals. H. balsamica when grown emersed has a poison strong enough that an emersed stem is said to kill the fish. I wonder if any of the other Hygrophila species have powerful defensive chemicals.

I've been wondering if this one is the same way, but my specimen will be preserved and sent off if I can get flowers.

Cavan Allen · 06-22-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rich815

Wow, that is very different looking than what I understand the plant looks like submersed. Allen, can you confirm if the plant indeed looks like this submersed? See here:

http://www.guitarfish.org/2009/01/07...hila-sp-guinea

I have two stems growing of that.

Call me Cavan, please.

Yes, that is indeed it. It took a very long time for it to adapt to growing emersed, even for the stem to rise up out of the water. For a while it still looked much like the submersed form and was quite pretty. Hopefully it still does well outside. My Hyptis started flowering abundantly before getting singed (an even bigger plant!), but this guy wasn't so lucky.

Cavan Allen · 06-22-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hydrophyte

when i was a little kid we had milking goats for a while. earlier this spring i grew some H. angustifolia emersed--it adapted readily--and it had a musky stench like a billy goat...made our whole house smell just like the barn when we had goats in there. i found this intriguing, but got tired with it after a few days and stuck the plant back underwater.

here is a macro shot of a bloom on that plant. the foliage was covered with those fine hairs, which were sticky with an oil that created the strong goat odor.

Nice photo!

Do you mean the angustifoliate form of H. corymbosa, or actual angustifolia? If the latter, I'd like to talk to you!

Come to think of it, I do remember one of our GWAPA members bringing in some foul-smelling corymbosa one time, even though it has never smelled like that emersed for me (but does sometimes suffer from a mysterious condition that looks like large grains of salt embedded in the leaves).