# [Wet Thumb Forum]-L. hippuroides



## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Here's a photo of some of the Limnophila hippuroides I got from Robert last month.








Swimming in a sea of H. micranthemoides









Roger MIller


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Here's a photo of some of the Limnophila hippuroides I got from Robert last month.








Swimming in a sea of H. micranthemoides









Roger MIller


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Roger,
How long have you had this growing for you? I got some a month ago and it's branching profusely. The original stems maintain the darker coloration in both green and red, but the side shoots have been a lot brighter...more lime green with pinkish/lavender undersides. They maintain this coloration even when the they've grown out 5-6".


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Those are two different plants. The first picture is Aromatica (what I called Aromatica 'red'). The second picture is the more comon aromaticoides. You can tell the difference not only by the colors but also by the leaf growth pattern. With respect to the stem, Aromatica grows up then out. Aromaticoides grows out then up. ("hyperbolic" vs "parabolic")


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Well, I hate to throw a wrench into the works, but take a look...

















Both pictures are of the same plant...the top photo is the stem top that I moved to the 29, the bottom photo is a side shoot off the stem bottom still in the 40. Perhaps the growth variation is due to light or nutrients, but at this point I really don't know what it is I have.

BTW, Albany Aquarium listed it as L. hippuroides 'gratiola' in their tank.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Bill,

I think I got it from Robert in early May. In my tank the side shoots are the same color as the original stem, except where they are shaded. The young and still-shaded shoots are green but turn darker when they reach the light. In my picture the two shortest stems visible -- one to the left and one in front and partially hidden by the micranthemoides -- are both side shoots.

Robert was selling it as L. hippuroides "Gratiola", so I suspect the name was given by the nursery and that my plant is identical to yours.

L. hippuroides doesn't appear in Kasselman. For now I'll regard it as separate from either L. aromatica or L. aromaticoides. I'll change my mind if someone can be reasonably convincing about it.


Roger Miller


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## fishfry (Apr 15, 2004)

L. hippuroides is the name given by Oriental Aquarium, and that is the plant that is a United States native. The other more purple Limnophila aromatica is from Asia. At least that is the way I understand it...I also have L. hippuroides and it looks much like the 2nd picture posted only the pinkish/lime turns more purple when it gets close to the surface.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

http://www.lucidcentral.org/keys/appw/nonkey/html/limnophila.html

There are no native Limnophila species. I don't know who first decided to call it L. hippuroides (I'm also assuming Oriental Aquarium), but I think that's unfortunate. I have not been able to find *any* reference to L. hippuroides outside of Oriental Aquarium, here, and Aquabid.

And I've grown the pkant for over three years and have had it grow green, purple and everything in between. I see nothing to indicate that this stuff isn't all the same plant.


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

Cavan, just to be clear, are you saying that L. hippuroides, L. aromatica and L. aromaticoides are all the same plant?


Roger Miller


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## fishfry (Apr 15, 2004)

interesting...the person I got it from said it was from North America, haha...guess they were off a bit

they mightjust be a very variable plant if that is the right word


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Roger,

I should have been more clear.

I'm saying that to the best of my knowledge:
- The plant we are growing is either _L. aromaticoides_ or the aromaticoides variety of _L. aromatica_.
- All the photos in this thread show the same plant. There are no red or green types. 
-_Limnophila hippuroides_ probably isn't a valid name.

Have a look at the photos of aromatica on Oliver Knott's page. I'm pretty sure it's sourced from Tropica. Same stuff.

(So is the picture of the emersed growth I took and posted in my tank pics photo gallery. I grow it outside on the deck during the summer. It's a little out of focus, but you can make out the flowers pretty well.)


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## imported_BSS (Apr 14, 2004)

Nice plant! And, I like what I'm hearing. I want to create a hedge (or "tree line") in front of a red/dark "mountain" in the back left corner of my tank. I was leaning towards Stargrass, but per another thread, Stargrass sounds a bit invasive/high maintenance. Seeing the photos, this looks like it might be a super candidate for what I'm thinking of. Any dissenting opinions?

And, in case it matters, I'm working on a new hood design that will add another 55w CF, so that'll put me at 1x96w + 2x55w CF.


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## gpodio (Feb 4, 2004)

I'm inclined to think that they are all the same plant too. Mine has grown green, pink and nearly purple depending on tank and location.

Here's the current look of mine in low light:



















It's all aromatica to me









Giancarlo Podio


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## Roger Miller (Jun 19, 2004)

It causes me no heartburn if L. hippuroides is an invalid name. The only thing that makes me wonder is that I sniffed at the plants and didn't find a noticable aroma.


Roger Miller


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Crush a leaf. The smell is more noticeable in emersed growth anyway. It tastes like carrots.


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

LOL..this is why I do not get into names!

This same arguement was going in our plant database forum. Ghazanfar as I recall came to the conclusion that aromaticoides and hippuroides are the same specie, while aromatica is a different specie. I don't know, and I do not really care!









I ordered them from Oriental Aquarium. They have both hippuroides and aromatica listed in their catalog. I ordered both. Both came in. Both looked very much alike, accept the hippuroides was twice as tall and thicker stems. They were both about the same color. The aromatica melted after 3 weeks, the hipp. did not and held up fine for me in a tank with bright light and C02. The second order was only hippuroides, but when it came in it looked like the aromatica I got the first time, but they didn't melt. So I decided to keep re ordering the hippuroides and not the aromatica. Oriental states in their catalog that this plant was thought to have started growing in the wild of North America.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

Just to light the fire again....

I have been growing "aromatica" and "aromaticoides" emersed.
I am working on getting them to flower, but you can still see a definate difference in the emergent growth. These plants are grown side by side in the same hydroponic solution (ie you cant say it is a nutrient thing)


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