New Large Pearl Grass
By: Inspire91
July 10th, 2012
8:34 pm
Hello everyone! A post on a new ground-cover plant is up on my blog AquaBiota! Here is an excerpt of what you’ll find there, for the rest click on the link below! Thank you for taking the time to check out this post ☺ Enjoy!
Inspire91
The most defining characteristics of this plant is that the leaves (almost 1/2 inch max in diameter) are perfectly round circles that come out in pairs at each node along the stem. The lack of any petiole connecting the main stem to the leaf, makes for a very compact-look. When this plant is grown to its fullest it looks like a tight mat of circular leaves. At this time there really isn't any other ground-cover plant like it in the hobby.
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57 comments on "New Large Pearl Grass"
July 22, 2012 at 4:51 pm
It looks in the photo like Micranthemum umbrosum to me. Difference in larger leaves and more creeping growth?
The trade name "New type Montecarlo-3" (Vadim's post) may point to the origin. Perhaps imoprted from South America via Japan (Rayon Vert or so), and listed and described in any Japanese catalogue?
p.s. @Vadim: Now I've found Your link, sorry
April 24, 2013 at 9:11 am
There is few info in in English. Key word ニューラージパールグラス
Try google translate
August 14, 2013 at 7:08 am
As far as I've read, 2 Micranthemum species are distinguished in southern South America (incl. Argentina where the New Large Pearl Grass / Micranthemum sp. "Montecarlo-3" was found):
- Micranthemum umbrosum (widespread in the Americas): leaves roundish (orbicular), flower stalks (pedicels) almost wanting (virtually sessile flowers).
- Micranthemum tweediei, also written M. tweedii: leaves elliptic, pedicels 3-5 mm.
See that pdf: Marchesi 1997, Scrophulariaceae en El Uruguay. http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&...w_wMY3jUfQYhjQ
I don't know pics of Micranthemum tweediei except those on jstor of herbarium specimens (I don't have access to the enlarged pics): http://plants.jstor.org/specimen/k000533491
Difficult to say if the leaves of the M. sp. "Montecarlo-3" are still orbicular or already elliptic. It has to be flowered to check the pedicel length.
October 23, 2013 at 11:17 am
Today happened to see the flowers. Very small about 2mm. Pictures are not the best, sorry:


October 25, 2013 at 1:56 am
Great!
The flowers look to me like Micranthemum ones at first glance. How long are the pedicels (flower stalks)? (see my last posting: pedicels 3-5 mm long => M. tweediei)
It would be good to preserve specimens and to send them to a specialist. Surely Cavan could give you advice.
October 25, 2013 at 4:57 am
pedicels (flower stalks) very short 1-1,5mm.
October 25, 2013 at 1:12 pm
OK, that speaks against Micranthemum tweediei. But the flowers are visibly stalked, not almost sessile, as in the case of M. umbrosum. =>
Btw., the M. "Montecarlo-3" is sold as "Elatine hydropiper": http://www.tropica.com/en/plants/pla...n.aspx?pid=025
October 25, 2013 at 1:58 pm
Btw., the M. "Montecarlo-3" is sold as "Elatine hydropiper": http://www.tropica.com/en/plants/pla...n.aspx?pid=025
October 25, 2013 at 2:15 pm
No, it's misnamed. The company Anubias (Italy) has E. hydropiper that's likely correctly determined (at least it's an Elatine), it's very different to the Tropica one.
Drawing of E. hydropiper, the flowers and leaves show clear differences to the "New Large Pearl Grass": http://www.plantsystematics.org/imgs...iper_5590.html
October 25, 2013 at 2:16 pm
The one on the first picture is not parana-i? https://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/f...tml#post553651