[dennis]

Looking through my few issues(so sad) of AquaJournal I noticed AMano often uses this plant, or used to at least, my issues are a year or so old. Many of the tanks at the NA Gallery have this plant. It interests me due to the height is seems to acheive and maintain. Jugding from the pics I would say it stays about 6" tall in high light situations. I have grown a fair amount of B japonica and in similar conditions it stays less than 4" tall, even shorter if you deprive it of any nutrient. This "echinosperma" interests me as it seems different from both japonica and alburti, plus if you have not noticed, I have a fondness for the Bylxas

Does anyone have any info about this plant? You can see it in the photo below. I beleive this palnt, if it is indeed a different sp. of Bylxa, has and excellent potential for aquascaping, especially in smaller aquariums where suitable taller grass plants are rare.

What do you think?

 

[tsunami]

It is a truly beautiful plant for midground applications of LARGE aquariums. I don't think it would be a good plant for a smaller tank -- it is simply too wide.

Carlos

 

[Cavan Allen]

Dennis,

The plant in that photo is definitely NOT echinosperma. In older literature, you'll find references to echinosperma as a species of its own, but it is now generally considered to be a variety of Blyxa aubertii. Kasselmann lists it as a synonym of aubertii, as does Dr. Winterton's site:
http://www.lucidcentral.org/keys/appw/nonkey/html/blyxa.html

In any case, it is nearly if not totally identical to aubertii in appearance. As we all know, aubertii is a very large and wide plant suitable only for backgrounds in tanks of decent size. I had one that was over 9 inches across at the base and had leaves that were nearly two feet long.

Please look here at the Blyxa in my tank. The picture is a bit dark, but it should give you an idea of the plant's size. It is about 9 inches tall and is the same Bylxa that has been making the rounds as japonica. That particular clump has access to totally unobstructed light and water flow and has outgrown all the rest of it in the same tank. It's a plant that frequently gets uprooted, but that clump has not. I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

I was thinking that it might be B. novoguineensis (long story), but it has produced many submersed flowers that have produced seeds. Novoguineensis is supposed to have single sex flowers, while those of japonica are bisexual. I kind of doubt that I can get seeds and seedlings under water from a species with single sex flowers.

I think then, that it's japonica.

 

[dennis]

I was discussing this with Karen Randell yesterday and she claims to have 3 species of Bylxa, all in the same tank. One, B. japonica that gets ~4"tall, B. aubertii that gets very large, as you describe, and a 3rd that that gets about 8" tall. She assumed this was what Amano calls echinosperma.

I do not doubt your Cavan as your much more versed in species identification and I really suck at it Just making observations.

 

[Tankman]

I think I have some of this plant. At first I really thought I was buying Bylxa japonica. The plant really looks like it (when it is young). But it's now grown to a height where, I'm pretty sure it's not the former.

Thanks for the input, guys.