# CT wild aquatic plants



## newbowery (Jan 3, 2013)

Hello Connecticut, I've been collecting plants on our farm near Stonington and transplanting to a test tank with varying degrees of success. Most are easily identifiable but I'm stumped on a few and wanted to ask if anyone has set up a gallery of local native plants w/ IDs.
Is there a thread here specific to CT? If not would anyone else be interested in getting one started?

Cheers


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I don't think anyone has a dedicated gallery to natives, but I'd certainly like to start one. Our club has done quite a few field trips and we have found a good number of species.


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## newbowery (Jan 3, 2013)

Or it could be a "collected in CT" rather than just natives. Ive collected many plants here that are only listed as being outside of our habitat zone which can make IDing a little confusing. Those ones usually are invasive species. 

BTW, can you tell me the variety of ludwigia shown in my last post? I'm sure it's repens but most of it is completely tones of red submersed and above the water line. Would this make it the Ruben variety or could it just be the high iron levels in our ground?

Thanks!


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

That's _Ludwigia palustris_. _L. repens_ is not found that far north anyway.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

newbowery said:


> Or it could be a "collected in CT" rather than just natives. Ive collected many plants here that are only listed as being outside of our habitat zone which can make IDing a little confusing. Those ones usually are invasive species.
> 
> BTW, can you tell me the variety of ludwigia shown in my last post? I'm sure it's repens but most of it is completely tones of red submersed and above the water line. Would this make it the Ruben variety or could it just be the high iron levels in our ground?
> 
> Thanks!


Cavan's correct, it's L. palustris. Also a very good plant for aquaria, but distinct from L. repens, which doesn't range this far north. L. palustris is a very variable plant, so colors from green to orange to bright red are all found in different conditions and populations.

I think you'll find most of your plants that you ID as species that aren't found here are in fact similar-looking species that do live in the area.

I don't think anyone's compiled a proper list of CT-native species suitable for aquaria, but if you cross reference a google search for U.S. native aquarium plants with the ranges indicated by the USDA PLANTS database, you'll start to get a better picture of what lives around here. Alternatively, join CAPE and come on a collecting trip and see it firsthand LOL.


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