# Is This Hydrocotyle?



## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

I found this plant in a pot (not submerged). Is it the same as Hydrocotyle that we plant in our aquarium?


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

It looks like _H. sibthorpioides_.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

It could be this: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=142


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

I think it's used for some kind of traditional medication by my mother-in-law. I'm wondering whether it's the same species as the one I keep inside my tank. Yeah, maybe it's H. sibthorpioides...this is what I suspect but I cannot be sure.


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## catwat (Oct 5, 2009)

It does look very similar to the Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides I have growing emersed.


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## SuperWen (Aug 26, 2010)

absolutely that is Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides (maritima).

emmerse leaf:









submerge leaf:









compared between emmerse leaf (left) and submerge leaf (right):


















in my tank:


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Hello SuperWen,

I don't think that Your plants show the difference between emersed and submersed leaves of the same plant. IMHO they are 2 different plants. The 1st with roundish leaves matches the H. sibthorpioides pic in the plantfinder. After my experience its emersed and submersed leaves are hardly different. 
The 2nd with deeply lobed leaves remains its leaf form in the emersed stage, too. This Hydrocotyle might be the Australian H. tripartita, but there are probably further similar species or maybe variants of H. sibthorpioides. Zapins has the same plant: 
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plant-id/73975-id-hydrocotyle-species.html
Here it is also described as being different and less demanding than usual H. sibthorpioides:http://bubblesaquarium.com/NewPlants/NewPlants_Hydrocotyle_sp_Popup.htm

-Heiko


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Thanks to everyone for helping with the identification.

Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides in my photo is not really mine. I happened to see them in my mother-in-law's pot.

I also have some submerged Hydrocotyle from friends that look like SuperWen's submerged Hydrocotyle, but I have no idea what species exactly. They just told me they're Hydrocotyle.

So, there's no way I can compare immersed and submerged form of this plant. Furthermore, they're from different sources. Without observing very carefully, I thought the leaves of my submerged Hydrocotyle looked the same as the ones in the pot until I noticed SuperWen's photos.

Maybe I can pick some from my mother-in-law's pot and try to plant them submerged and see how it goes. However, I need permission from my mother-in-law first. Otherwise, being caught stealing from my mother-in-law on Christmas eve will disqualify me from any present from Santa...hahaha


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## SuperWen (Aug 26, 2010)

miremonster said:


> Hello SuperWen,
> 
> I don't think that Your plants show the difference between emersed and submersed leaves of the same plant. IMHO they are 2 different plants. The 1st with roundish leaves matches the H. sibthorpioides pic in the plantfinder. After my experience its emersed and submersed leaves are hardly different.
> The 2nd with deeply lobed leaves remains its leaf form in the emersed stage, too. This Hydrocotyle might be the Australian H. tripartita, but there are probably further similar species or maybe variants of H. sibthorpioides. Zapins has the same plant:
> ...


so, is this H.tripartita?









wew... my friend bought it in singapore LFS, and they said it is H.sibthorpioides. was it mean the seller lied to my friend? i'm shock 

@ totziens:
after read this thread in the office yesterday, coincidently i found the emmerse hydrocotyle at the park near my office. 
so I pick a clump of it, take the photos, upload it here, and put in my tank. I hope this plant will grow to submerge form and show us what species this plant exactly


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## m3177o (Jan 16, 2009)

looks a bit like cilantro. hmm... i wonder if you can grow cilantro underwater.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

SuperWen, I can't find the photo of the Hydrocotyle you found at the park. Are you sure you have posted it?


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## SuperWen (Aug 26, 2010)

totziens said:


> SuperWen, I can't find the photo of the Hydrocotyle you found at the park. Are you sure you have posted it?


this one:









pity I didn't bring my camera when I found it at the park


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

SuperWen said:


> so, is this H.tripartita?


It does look like that what Aussie hobbyists collected in the wild in Australia and cultivate as Hydrocotyle tripartita, and I believe their ID is correct (e.g. description here: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hydrocotyle~tripartita ). As far as I've read, H. tripartita is native to Australia only and introduced to New Zealand. 
However, a Hydrocotyle occurs in E and SE Asia, roughly looking the same: Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides var. batrachium, Synonyms H. batrachium and H. formosana: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200015611
But I don't find hints that the Asian H. s. var. batrachium and the Australian H. tripartita turned out to be the same species, and I don't know the differences between them.
If the nice 3-lobed Hydrocotyle came into the hobby from Australia (who knows it?), it's most probably H. tripartita. Seems to be an open question.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Thanks again, SuperWen.

I still haven't got the permission to take the Hydrocotyle from the pot yet. She has very limited of them in the pot. I'm not sure whether I will ever get the permission.


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## novianto.sutardi (Aug 10, 2010)

hi totziens,

search them carefully in your neighborhood

i myself finds them grow near the pond of a funeral home ,
mostly with dwarf elephant grass (pennisetum purpureum schamach ??)


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

I hope you didn't bring back any dead body with you..hahaha

I have never seen Hydrocotyle in the wild. Mostly they're in somebody's pot/garden.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

I have collected the Hydrocotyle and currently trying to keep them in submerged form. Will shoot some photos soon. I have also found out the Hydrocotyle was not purposely planted in the pot.


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