# Is this pelia?



## AteItOffTheFloor (Oct 8, 2014)

Went exploring in a river today, looking for plants. Found some promising aquatics, but then stumbled on this.

Is it M. tenerum?


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Hi, very interesting, but very likely not Monosolenium. Indonesia, right? AFAIK, the areal of Monosolenium is further to the north, in the mainland of Asia, from Northern India, Nepal etc. to China and Japan.
I fear we need a liverwort expert for ID. But apart from its identity, it would of course be interesting to test its suitability as aquarium moss.


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## AteItOffTheFloor (Oct 8, 2014)

West Malaysia  Still not very Northern though. 

How long will it take to see if its aquatic proper or not?

It was not growing submerged where I found it.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

OK, I forgot that, sorry. - By any chance, did you find it in an area with limestone => calcareous milieu?
Aquatic is a vague term anyway; the botanists mean the occurrence of a plant species in the nature - does it predominantly occur in water, or not. It doesn't necessarily mean aquarium suitability; there are some good aquarium plant species that aren't really aquatic in their natural habitats, as well as true aquatics which are very difficult or hardly to grow. 
Also Monosolenium tenerum isn't characterized as aquatic liverwort by the bryologists; reading their descriptions, surely one wouldn't think that it could be grown submerged.

I think it's a matter of several months - simply watching if it produces biomass and can be propagated, and if the new growth looks well. Of course it also depends on the culture conditions. Good lighting, CO2 and nutrient supply, water flow etc. even facilitate the survival of plant species that aren't able to adapt well to submergence.


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## AteItOffTheFloor (Oct 8, 2014)

Will do. 

Going to split it with a couple of buddies - between them they've got co2 and turtle tanks, so co2 and high ferts abound


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Good, let's see! - For possible later ID by liverwort experts, you may preserve a sample by drying it and storing in an envelope or similar, as I've already written somewhere longer ago. If present, pieces which have any conspicuous structures that might be sporogons, antheridiophores, gemmae or so.

Maybe a Pallavicinia... but there are surely more possibilities, no reliable ID without closer examination.
http://hiddenforest.co.nz/bryophytes/liverworts/leafy/pallaviciniaceae/palla01.htm


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

A checklist of the liverworts (Hepaticae) and hornworts (Anthocerotae) of Malaysia: http://bomax.botany.pl/pubs/data/article_pdf?id=2656


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## AteItOffTheFloor (Oct 8, 2014)

just want to say that yes, it grows underwatah


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Cool! I'm curious how it looks like now.


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