[freshreef]

its a plant i got from thailand a month ago or so.
looks like rtotundifolia but gets more reddish and growing very slow
could it b indica? how can i b sure without flowering it?

 

[cS]

The overwhelming pink coloration and relatively large leaves make me think that it is Rotala rotundifolia. If you really want "Rotala indica" then ask someone from Singapore to send you Rotala indica var uliginosa. Its color and growth habit resemble a cross between Rotala macrandra 'Narrow Leaf' (Rotala magenta) and Rotala rotundifolia.

 

[freshreef]

thanks CS
here is another pic of the same plant in the same tank - looks a bit different

 

[cS]

Before I go on, I should mention that the "Rotala indica" to which I refer is actually Rotala indica var uliginosa, a species that I grew for ~3 months before it was unfortunately "lost". During this limited time period, I have observed the following:

(1) Its color was similar to Rotala macrandra 'Narrow Leaf', except a bit more rustic. I did not observe ANY pink tint, not even among the shaded lower leaves. There, the leaves were colored green with rustic red patches -- not unlike poorly grown R. macrandra 'Narrow Leaf'. R. rotundifolia at its BEST will only exhibit a dark orange color, NEVER red.

(2) Its leaves were 3/4 that of R. rotundifolia. As far as I could tell, its growth habit was exactly like R. rotundifolia, exhibiting both horizontal and vertical growths; whereas R. macrandra 'Narrow Leaf' is strictly vertical.

Working from these observations, the plant in your photos does not appear to be "Rotala indica": (1) color is a uniform pink and (2) the leaves are too big.

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I wish I can show you a visual but I did not get an opportunity to photograph mine before I "lost" it. The following photo is the best that I can manage. It's a photo of Amano's instructional tank that features R. indica var uliginosa (back left red plant). In the hardcopy version of this "Beginner's Manual", available as part of the complete set of English Aquajournals, there are larger resolution pictures that show this plant in greater detail. I beseech those who have this manual to scan/photograph it and share it with us. Please?