# Please identify this crypt



## maboleth (Aug 13, 2013)

I bought it as C. willisii, but looks to me like wendtii brown or something else... What do you think?


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

The tall one? Definitely not willisii.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

It's a little complicated with the name Cryptocoryne willisii because there are so-named homonyms (same name, but different meanings):

1) _C. willisii_ Engler ex Baum (1909) is a synonym of C. undulata: http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-52078
One can find pics of C. undulata, called C. willisii, in older aquarium literature.

2) _C. willisii_ Reitz (1908 ) refers to the C. x willisii hybrid complex, with the plants known in the hobby as C. lucens and "C. nevillii" http://crypts.home.xs4all.nl/Cryptocoryne/Gallery/wil/wil.html

I can't judge if the plant belongs to Cryptocoryne undulata, but I agree, not 2), C. x willisii.


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## maboleth (Aug 13, 2013)

AaronT said:


> The tall one? Definitely not willisii.


Yep, the tall one. The "short" one is not a Crypt but Echinodorus tenellus that I planted few weeks ago and still has thick emersed leaves.

Thanks everyone, maybe it's wendtii brown?
C. undulata has curly leaves... those in my tank are flat brownish ones with the hint of the green here and there.


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

Well, wendtii generally flowers rather easily when grown emersed. So that could nail it down to species level. "red" "brown" etc. are just trade names in my opinion and are not used exclusively for a specific clone.


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## maboleth (Aug 13, 2013)

illustrator said:


> Well, wendtii generally flowers rather easily when grown emersed. So that could nail it down to species level. "red" "brown" etc. are just trade names in my opinion and are not used exclusively for a specific clone.


You mean, to nail it down, I should snip some of my Crypts, grow it emersed and judging by the flower, know which species it belongs? Right?


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

To species-level yes. For identification of varieties the only thing that may help is to buy a plant with a nametag from a reputed source and grow it next to yours in the same aquarium. After some months you could perhaps see if it is the same. But even then, what does it help if "red" is only a trade-name and another "red" grown by someone else may or may not be the same plant?


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

WEN makes new plants at the base.UND sends out long rhizomes to make ne plants.

There are so many forms of WEN it's just silly.


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