# Are aquatic plants seasonal?



## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I know that Aponogetons will go dormant from time to time...

But are aquatic plants in general affected by the seasons? Not sure what triggers terrestrial plants to follow the seasons but I imagine it's light duration and temperature?

If it is, then theoretically aquatic plants in the aquarium will not be affected by the seasons as these two elements are constant (most of the time).

But I have the impression that my aquarium plants seem to do better in the spring and summer than in the fall and winter.

Or is it just me?


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

> But I have the impression that my aquarium plants seem to do better in the spring and summer than in the fall and winter.


For me I think they tend to do better in winter/spring. But then again, I am coming from a warm climate, whereas you're much colder. I would think tropical plants wouldn't be affected by the environmental factors which cause dormancy as much as non-tropical. The temps, lighting times, etc are fairly constant in the tropics.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

Eriocaulon cinereum seems to be an annual plant. I have had this plant for two years now. Both times in the late fall/early winter, the leaves stopped growing and died back As the leaves start dying off and collecting algae, flower stalks form. This year, I removed the flowering plants and I am attempting to propagate them in an emmersed setup. Hopefully I will get some seeds and new plants from my efforts  

This seems to be the only annual plant I have had experience with so far.


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

MatPat said:


> Eriocaulon cinereum seems to be an annual plant. I have had this plant for two years now. Both times in the late fall/early winter, the leaves stopped growing and died back As the leaves start dying off and collecting algae, flower stalks form. This year, I removed the flowering plants and I am attempting to propagate them in an emmersed setup. Hopefully I will get some seeds and new plants from my efforts
> 
> This seems to be the only annual plant I have had experience with so far.


this is the most difficult plant from xp...from 4in diameter it's now shrunk to 2 in...from 6 plants left one in 8 months. more difficult than aponogeton madagascariensis...toninas are easy by comparison, bolbitis as well...any insight will be greatly appreciated...it's now in 12 hrs FL, 2.5WPG the usual NPK, ADA soil, 26-27.8C, ph slightly below 7 and 20+ppm co2...more light?


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

_Callitriche heterophylla_ is a native plant that dies back every winter regardless of whether conditions in the tank remain the same all year. Mine made it through its first winter (barely) but not the second. Too bad, because it's a nice plant.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=539&c=22


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

I think it depends on how close the plant is to being wild, how many generations. Plants, like animals and people, have an internal clock. I believe the more a plant is cultivated it may loose that internal clock. Each plant specie has evolved over thousands, millions, whatever years to adapt to it's specific natural enviornment. Seasons, temp., light, salinity, rainfall, drought, flood, whatever.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Species. Specie is coin money.

_Callitriche heterophylla_ frequents seasonal pools that dry up, so dying back is normal for that plant. I guess some plants may do better after being captive for a while (makes sense), but it's pretty hard for that to happen when you can't get it through the winter. That's just the way some of them are. There also some like _Lindernia dubia_ and _Ludwigia palustris_ that have no difficulty at all adapting.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

Ludwigia palustris in Mississippi is a perennial plant. You can find it year around in any ditch or puddle. Lindernia dubia also grows here, but I have not been able to get it to adapt to submersed growth. The plants retained a silvery coating of air over the leaves and stems, and had some very much smaller growth as the main stems slowly turned brown and died. The smaller growth eventually broke loose and floated to the surface, where it persisted longer growing above the surface. Cavan, were you able to get better submersed growth from L. dubia? Were your submersed plants water repellant?


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

The stems I have now aren't as large as they could be emersed, but they do just fine. They did have that water repellant look when I first submerged them but adapted to life under water without difficulty. It's actually a pretty nice plant. It has squarish and spongy stems that grow straight up. Leaves retain some teeth and the whole plant is a bright green. No real difficulties, but it definitley doesn't appreciate being overshaded or in water that's too warm. I can send you some sometime if you want (nobody else just yet please - I dont have very much).

I didn't mean to cause any confusion about annual or perrenials. _L. palustris_ is the same here too. I guess my point was plants will more often than not retain their seasonal attributes, at least for a good while.

Have you been able to get _C. heterophylla_ to make it through a winter?


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## houseofcards (Feb 16, 2005)

Cavan,

Callitriche heterophylla looks alike like stargrass. Does anyone see their stargrass reduced in the winter. Mine was growing great and then stopped, just stopped. I'm thinking it was low no3, but I thought the seasonally issue was interesting.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

One question is, how do plants know it is time to cash in their chips (senesce)? Usually the cue is daylength change, but artificially lit aquariums have a constant lighting regimen unless someone is changing the timer. Maybe they are plants that grow during short days but are getting a long day and have to grow for a while before they can react to the long day and senesce. Plants, like the Callitriche here in Mississippi, grow pretty much during the winter. Perhaps, if kept on short days, they would not senesce. 

Some plants are day-neutral and flower, go to seed and senesce when they reach a certain size regardless of daylength. 

The verb, senesce, isn't in my dictionary, but it ought to be.


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