# Eichornia id???



## novianto.sutardi (Aug 10, 2010)

Got this plant from a reservoir in West Java.

Emersed plant


Flower


Can somebody help with an ID?


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Not Eichhornia (two h!) but same family, Pontederiaceae.
I'm pretty sure it's Heteranthera reniformis, see that Australian site: http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/wee...tpl&state=nt&s=&region=vb&form=water&card=W29
Native of the Americas. Is it known at all that it's naturalized in Indonesia?


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## novianto.sutardi (Aug 10, 2010)

Seems that you're right, it's Heteranthera reniformis.
Never seen this plant before, at least in Jakarta.

Can this be grown submersed?


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

I didn't try that myself, but according to the Kasselmann book a purely submersed culture isn't possible. But submerged leaves are described in the book having a linear to oblanceolate form. So it may be that seedlings can grow submerged for some time before they develop floating and emersed leaves.
Here a botanical description of the species: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220006312

As Heteranthera reniformis may not be known to occur in Indonesia yet, it's worth to document these plants in the reservoir and to make known that to botanists. It may be important to observe and control the population because the species is known as rice weed elsewhere.


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