"Water horn" (Ceratopteris pteridoides?)

[plecoperson]

Awright-I got two of these 2/24/07, about 3" across each. They looked like goners until about 2 weeks ago, and now:

Then I noticed some baby dealies on the edge of a leaf:

And you can see the center bit, where it all begins:

The smaller one looks like it's going to make a big break, too. It's in the top left of the first photo.

Can anyone positively ID them for me? The pictures of this plant name on PlantGeek have ferny branchy leaves as well as these flat ones.

PS-If you ever want to grow them, leave the dead leaves on. They provide flotation for the plant as it regenerates into a monster. In my 5 gallon, original home of Sparky's monster Apon...

 

[rkilling1]

That looks like Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) to me.

 

[plecoperson]

I have frogbit too (the smaller plants in the tank are baby water lettuce), but those leaves are about 1" across.

This one's 6" across total, and has a crazy-weird leaf structure with an air bladder in each leaf. The small plants forming on the edge of the leaf on this plant are about the max size of a frogbit leaf. 8O

 

[SparKy697]

Ok, I get all the heat about the monster plants. As you all can see the tank in Lisa's post is the birthplace for all things mutant. For all we know that is just a picture of some crazy duckweed!

 

[plecoperson]

Ok, I get all the heat about the monster plants. As you all can see the tank in Lisa's post is the birthplace for all things mutant. For all we know that is just a picture of some crazy duckweed!

 

[Hoovercat]

Yea, yea Sparky. Next you'll be telling us she fertilises with the "heavy water" left from cooling nuclear fuel rods.

 

[Jchillin]

Yea, yea Sparky. Next you'll be telling us she fertilises with the "heavy water" left from cooling nuclear fuel rods.

Ok, that's pretty funny, but it does lead one to wonder what is going on in that tank. I'm actually surprised Lisa hasn't offered any to SparKy, just to see if they can grow out of the tank and carry it around the room.

On another note, I haven't the slightest idea of what they are...small palm trees maybe?

 

[plecoperson]

Children,

It has grown another 2" across and the leaves are having to curl under as they hit the sides of the tank.

Am I afraid? Yes. Do I know someone with a koi pond? Yes. Unless someone here has a huge tank and wants 2 floating plants that get 12" across?

They are really cool. I wish my 75 had less water motion on the top-I'd put 'em in there. Starting another thread about dividing the top of a tank to make a still portion and a thrashy, AquaClear-induced, churning part....