# Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-08)"



## AaronT

*Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-08)"*

Here's a flower I spotted the other day on one of my blackwater Crypts, Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-08)".










My setups are extremely similar to Ghazanfar Ghori's. AGA tanks w/ glass lids, medium lighting levels and occasional fertilization with Miracle Gro. This particular Crypt is potted in pure leaf litter collected from the woods behind my parent's house. It's most likely Oak and Silver Maple leaves.


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## Ghazanfar Ghori

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Looking good! Is this the one that you'd mentioned flowered for you earlier as well? Or was that a different longicauda?


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## AaronT

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



Ghazanfar Ghori said:


> Looking good! Is this the one that you'd mentioned flowered for you earlier as well? Or was that a different longicauda?


Yes, this is the same one that has flowered a couple of other times. It flowered once before when I was busy moving and another time while I was on vacation so naturally I haven't had any photographic proof until now.


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## Ghazanfar Ghori

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

How did the setup fare the move? Everything back on track?


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## AaronT

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



Ghazanfar Ghori said:


> How did the setup fare the move? Everything back on track?


I've only lost one Crypt so far and that one was on the way out already. Everything else seems to be adapting just fine. I collected some beech tree leaves from the local park with Cavan the other day. There's a limestone quarry just up the street so we'll see if it really makes a difference.


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## Xema

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Nice plant, lot of leaves, that is a good sign.


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## Khamul1of9

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Its very beautiful. I really like the leaves and spathe itself looks super exotic. Exactly what I am looking for in Aroids in general! I'm drooling over this one.


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## AaronT

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

The flower opened up a bit more a couple of days later. Here's an updated picture from today.


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## Ghazanfar Ghori

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Looking nice! Are you going to slice it open?


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## AaronT

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



Ghazanfar Ghori said:


> Looking nice! Are you going to slice it open?


Not really sure how to go about that. Perhaps you can show me sometime.


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## DelawareJim

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Sweet! Nice flower.

And now for something completely different; I'm curious if the duckweed is intentional? Does it help keep the green dust algae at bay?

Cheers.
Jim


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## Ghazanfar Ghori

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



AaronT said:


> Not really sure how to go about that. Perhaps you can show me sometime.


Not much to it. Cut the flower off the plant with a clean single edge razor. Slice off a portion of the
flower to expose the male and female flowers and the inside of the kettle. Take a skinny threading needle
and stick it into the stem portion of the flower. Then stick the other end of the needle into a wad of gum, play dough,
real dough - whatever to hold it up vertically. Take some pictures!


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## Kai Witte

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Hello Aaron,

This species is really difficult to photograph since the inflorescence changes its form quite fast; also, a cut spathe wilts rapidly in dry air.

You need a really sharp knife or preferably scalpel/razor blade to cut a window into the kettle. I'm going to post some pics later but it still needs practise to get the best view into the kettle.


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## Kai Witte

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

BTW, this clone has completely brown leaves with me.

Have you seen any fully grown leaves without green, Aaron? What light do you utilize?


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## AaronT

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



DelawareJim said:


> Sweet! Nice flower.
> 
> And now for something completely different; I'm curious if the duckweed is intentional? Does it help keep the green dust algae at bay?
> 
> Cheers.
> Jim


I can assure you the duckweed was / is quite accidental. It doesn't bother anything to have it in there. It's just a pain because it gets all over everything if I take a pot out for some reason. 



> BTW, this clone has completely brown leaves with me.
> 
> Have you seen any fully grown leaves without green, Aaron? What light do you utilize?


The leaves do have some brown in them. I'm using a single T8 32 watt bulb that is overdriven to about 55 watts over a 48" x 13" x 12" tank. I was using two bulbs, but I believe that was too much light. The bulb is a Phillips 6500k daylight bulb from the hardware store.

Thanks for the cutting tips Kai and Ghazanfar. I'll have to try it next time around. Truthfully, this setup is in our laundry room which needs to be cleaned out and painted. I plan to repot a lot of my Crypts in the near future and arrange things so they are a bit more accessable long-term.


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## rs79

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

"but I believe that was too much light"

Why? What happens?

Don't they grow in full sunlight? That's way more than a fluorescent tube is gonna put out.


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## AaronT

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



rs79 said:


> "but I believe that was too much light"
> 
> Why? What happens?
> 
> Don't they grow in full sunlight? That's way more than a fluorescent tube is gonna put out.


I believe they are shade plants in nature. It was causing all sorts of algae to appear in the water and on the surface of the pots. Aside from that, they grow just fine in low lighting and it keeps my electric bill in check.


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## rs79

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Lot of photos of the terra typica have them growing in full sun. They can grow in shade, which led to the myth they prefer it.

Java moss should control the algae, but you're quite right they do fine in less light.

In this way, I suppose they're a "green" plant.

Sorry*

*not sorry.


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## Ghazanfar Ghori

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



rs79 said:


> They can grow in shade, which led to the myth they prefer it.


Some DO prefer it.


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## rs79

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Sure, some might, but when I see "crypts are shade loving plants" I just shake my head. Other aroinds, like Hostas are true "shade loving plants" and don't do well at all in full sun. Many crypts do way better with strong light though - just look at the pictures on Jan's site of where and how they grow.

It seems like the blackwater species tend to grow under a forest canopy, but the rest seem to grow in the middle of a wide open unshaded river.


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## ed seeley

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*



rs79 said:


> Sure, some might, but when I see "crypts are shade loving plants" I just shake my head. Other aroinds, like Hostas are true "shade loving plants" and don't do well at all in full sun. Many crypts do way better with strong light though - just look at the pictures on Jan's site of where and how they grow.
> 
> It seems like the blackwater species tend to grow under a forest canopy, but the rest seem to grow in the middle of a wide open unshaded river.


Hostas aren't aroids; they're Liliaceae (or Agavaceae) and some of them do quite fine in full sun too as long as other needs are met (re water and humidity). Even quite a few 'shade' aroids like Ariseamas will acutally do fine in full sun as long as it's not too intense. Large genera are never going to all want the same conditions.


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## Kai Witte

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

Hello Richard,



> Lot of photos of the terra typica have them growing in full sun. They can grow in shade, which led to the myth they prefer it.


I'm not sure which terra typica you refer to - the locality where the original plants for longicauda were discovered by Beccari (no herbarium type specimens were preserved in this case)? Or longicauda habitats in general?

I've visited a fair share of longicauda habitats. I've yet to see them growing completely exposed in full sun (all day) although I believe that submersed plants probably won't complain during the short period until more competitive plants will take over...

I don't think Aaron's plants would mind a second fluorescent bulb either but more light also means more nutrients are needed which can lead to problems not apparent in lower light settings. While we all appreciate a flowering crypt, I guess most of us are more interested in stable cultures rather than record growing rates. And blackwater crypts are very, very good at growing in very low light conditions: A single bulb is usually more than enough for decent emersed growth (including flowering) and considerably more than most longicauda in a natural peat swamp forest are experiencing for years/decades!


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## rs79

*Re: Cryptocoryne longicauda "Sarawak: Sg. Stunggang 'brown clone (KEW 5123)' (NJS 04-*

If you want brown leaves, withold nitrate and use pink (or very bright) lights.

If you want green, use blueish light and push nitrate. Theres quite a few that will make brown leaves when its atypical for the plant, for example _pontiderifolia_ or "green" undulata, which can look a bit like nurii given enough light.

These are the same plant in the same tank, only the light is different:


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