[Zapins]

i just bought 2 bunches of a plant that either is, or looks very similar to Alternanthera reineckii. my plant is actually purple underneath (not red) and the green is a little different. i am just wondering if this is a true aquatic plant b/c its stem feels very stiff, almost like it is a terrestrial plant. any thoughts/tips on how to care for this plant?

to see a picture of a similar looking plant click the link
http://koti.phnet.fi/jarkki/kasvit/Papukaijalehti%20(Alternanthera%20reineckii%20Roseafolia).jpg

-michael

 

[freshreef]

dont worry its an aquatic plant and maybe u got it from a nursery, where they grow it in the emerged form. just give it a good amount of light and low to moderate KH values and it will grow just fine.

 

[Zapins]

thats good to know i was worried there for a sec b/c the pet shop i got it from didnt even know what its name was (they called it "dragon tongue"). I'm not sure what a low kh is supposed to be, is kh of 6-7° (~113ppm) low/moderate, what about a gh of 17° (~320ppm)?

 

[tsunami]

If it is dragon tongue, then it is a Hemigraphis sp. that will not grow underwater. It will die if submersed.

Carlos

 

[Zapins]

AHHH i checked on the net and it looks almost exactly like this Hemigraphis repanda

http://www.aqua-daho.cz/aqua-daho/obrazky/H03.jpg

so i should probably take it out of the water?

 

[HeyPK]

The pictured plant is Alternanthera reineckii, variety roseafolia. It doesn't look like the Hemigraphus in the next picture. Now, if YOUR plant looks like the Hemigraphus, then maybe that is what it is.

 

[Robert Hudson]

Ludwigia glandulosa is purplish red on the underside

 

[Micke-Eklund]

This is a pic of a Alternanthera reineckii "rosefolia" I took for a while ago.

http://www.michael-eklund.dynu.com/mickes/Pictures/Plants/Alternanthera/Alternanthera.htm

This plant is now planted in my big tank with metalhalide light and co2 controller it´s groowing like crazy.

 

[Zapins]

yea mine has purple on the bottom and on the top a very dark green also i can see purple veins on the green side. i asked the owner of a small pet shop what it was and he said it was a bog plant - not a real aq plant. so i think im going to return it. though i wouldnt mind getting another plant that looks similar to it.... like the one in the above post

 

[tsunami]

By the sounds of it, your plant is definitely Hemigraphis repanda (also known as dragon tongue).

If you want Alternanthera reineckii, ask the pet shop owner for it using the common name often used for that plant --red temple. It's pretty common and one of the easiest red plants to grow. The degree of redness in this species isn't dependent on nutrient levels with this one either, unlike the Ludwigias, Rotalas, et al.

Carlos