Help! Plant ID needed

[AshleyXavier]

Hi, can anyone help to ID my plants? LFS either can't give me the correct name or give me some obscure chinese plant name which I can translate over to common or scientific name.

[center:7e1d32062f]1)

[/center:7e1d32062f]

Some sort of Vallisneria, not sure if it's the americana variety??

[center:7e1d32062f]2)

[/center:7e1d32062f]

No idea which plant this is. It does not seems to grow roots in the substrate but from each node above the substrate

[center:7e1d32062f]3)

[/center:7e1d32062f]

According to the LFS, the leaves tend to flatten and open out if there is high amount of lighting, grows taller if there isn't sufficient

[center:7e1d32062f]4)

[/center:7e1d32062f]

I have this plant for quite a while, grows rather fast. I need to prune it every 2 - 3 wks

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, the glass is a bit covered with algae. I'm having a 2ft X 1ft X 1.5ft planted tank with approx 3.6wpg flourescent lighting. Thanks for you help in advance.

 

[BlazerFRS]

The last picture looks like Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis).

I think you're right about the first one being a Val. but I don't know how to tell the diff btw. varieties.

Not too sure about the rest, but i'm sure someone else can help you out

 

[malkore]

1. corkscrew valliseneria - Vallisneria americana v. 'Biwaensis'
2. don't think this is a true aquatic plant
3. Lilaeopsis sp. probably Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
4. I think the last is actually Ceratopteris thalictroides - Watersprite

very hard to tell it apart from wisteria, as they are quite similar. I think the leaves look too thin and bright for wisteria though.

 

[AshleyXavier]

Thanks. I check the names against the profile from Tropica. They seems to match correctly. What do you mean by plant no 2 not being an aquatic plant? I bought them from a LFS, do you think they are suitable for my aquarium?

 

[crazycat]

malkore--are you sure that'ds lilleopsis--the leaves look too big and wide--spade-shaped. not that i have an alternative to offer though...

 

[malkore]

#2 doesn't look like any aquatic plant I've seen. doesn't mean its not an aquatic, but it looks too sturdy...like it could stand vertically outside the water, which is often an indicator of a terrestrial or marginal (bog) plant.

Its pretty common for LFS to sell non-aquatic plants, because they don't know any better or just don't care. Mondo grass and acorus are commonly sold in the US, as is aluminum plant and purple waffle. none of these are true aquatics and will die and rot if fully submerged for long.

crazy, no i'm not 100% its lilleopsis, but it does look like emersed lilleopsis growth...the wider leaves. Now that you make me look at it more, it could be a very small crypt species.

There's at least 3 species of lilleopsis though, so maybe it's not brasiliensis

 

[Purrbox]

The second one look a lot like green hedge to me. If this is the case it isn't a true aquatic and is often sold as an aquarium plant despite this.

 

[malkore]

Here's a link for 'hedge' varieties, none of which last long submerged
http://www.plantgeek.net/plant-234.htm

 

[Robert H]

I think Malkore nailed it, except what he is calling lilaeopsis looks like Cryptocoryne parva or willissi to me.

 

[malkore]

I think I agree with Robert on it being a crypt species. What I have access to here is very limited. having looked it up, I think he's a lot closer on that ID than mine.

http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_viewer.php?id=72

if it's crypt. parva, its one of the more light demanding crypt species, looks like it wants 2wpg and some CO2.

 

[AshleyXavier]

Thank Purrbox and Malkore, it does look like green hedge. No wonder it's looks like it's not doing well in my tank. Despite the green leaves, it's getting blackish at the edges, it could be dying I guess.

I will remove them and plant something else.

 

[AshleyXavier]

For the Cryptocoryne parva, it does look similiar to the pic posted in plantgeek. My lighting is approx 3.6wpg and I'm pumping CO2 (1bubble/4secs) in a 15gal tank. So far it seems to be staying fine.