ID and Propagation Advice

1832 Views 6 Replies 2 Participants Last post by Capt., Nov 25, 2004

Capt.

Discussion Starter · Nov 24, 2004

Could someone please ID this crypt for me. I've had it for almost a year and it has grown a good amount in that time. I'm thinking about trying to split it up but don't want to get any melting if possible. I think this a species less prone to melting.

There is a much bigger pic at this link
http://pna.pricenetwork.ca/gallery/albums/userpics/13267/IMG_6526.JPG

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HeyPK

· #2 · Nov 24, 2004

It looks like what they are calling Cryptocoryne x willisii. This name covers a number of hybrids between C. parva and other Sri Lankan crypts, such as C. beckettii, or C. walkeri. C. x willisii plants used to be called either C. nevillii or C. lucens, with the former having rather short, triangular leaves and the latter having longer leaves with some waviness along the edges. There appear to be more varieties of C. x willisii than the old nevillii and the old lucens. They differ in how much brown they develop on their leaves and how the brown color is distributed. For example, I have a variety of C. x willisii that differs from yours in that the brown color develops along the edges of the leaves, leaving the center green. In your plant, the brown seems to be more evenly distributed.

My experience with C. x willisii has been that it transplants well and never melts.

This is the old nevillii:

This is the old lucens:

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Capt.

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 24, 2004

Thanks for all the info. You've got me interested now. By your pics it looks more like nevillii. I was looking at Jan D. Bastmeijer's site and this "former C. lucens" looks like a lot it.

http://132.229.93.11/Cryptocoryne/Gallery/wil/wil_x_M_1638.jpg

I was reading a fairly old but very good book of mine and their pic of C. nevillii looks just like it. Also says plant goes brown with intense light.

Maybe I have a "Brown" version of it? Here's a picture showing a few leaves better (big green leaf is a tiny echindorous sp.).

What forum category should I post the echindorous question? I would like to figure out what it is too. Also how do I propagate this plant? Should I try to cut a piece of the plants loose?

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HeyPK

· #4 · Nov 24, 2004

Capt. wrote:

What forum category should I post the echindorous question? I would like to figure out what it is too. Also how do I propagate this plant? Should I try to cut a piece of the plants loose?

It should probably go into the general planted aquarium forum, but, what the heck? We are having severe thunderstorms, and I can't sleep. If the Echinodorus species sends out any runners, then it is E. Quadricostatus or E. bolivianus, most likely. Actually, just looking at that one leaf, it doesn't look very much like either species. Its leaf looks a little too broad. Could I see a picture of the whole plant? If it doesn't send out runners, then it probably can be propagated when it gets around to sending up a flower stalk. Wait for little plantlets to form on the nodes of the stalk.

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Capt.

Discussion Starter · #5 · Nov 24, 2004

Sorry should clarified that I was asking how to propagate the crypt. I have never split any type of crypt in the past. Is it fairly easy to do?

I'll post a question regarding my echindorous in the general section. The leaf in the pic is a small baby off my mother plant.

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HeyPK

· #6 · Nov 25, 2004

You let the crypts propagate themselves, and when they get crowded, dig them all up, break off the smaller plants from the mother plants, and replant, giving all the plants more space. They send runners under the substrate, and the new plants come up from the ends of the runners. They don't seem to mind being crowded, but when they become really densely packed, it is time to haul them out and break them up. Usually it takes about two years before it is time to bust them up again. If you let them go a really long time, then you have to break up an almost solid block of plants jam packed together. If you float all the little pieces of stems that result from ripping up a dense block of plants, you will get little plants from all of them, and these can number in the hundreds.

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Capt.

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 25, 2004

Thanks HeyPK. I think I'm going to thin them out a bit. That way I can give them more room to grow because they're getting crowded. Also have a low light tank I want to try them in.

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