# Plant identification help



## Chipie (Feb 25, 2007)

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and i hope i'm posting at the right place. My LFS had a plant in their tank and it was obviously dying. So they gave it to me instead of trowing it to the garbage. Now, i have no idea what it is. I would like to know it's name so i can take better car of it.

Here's a picture.









The stems are dark red(darker than the picture) so is the underside of the leafs(or what leafs it had left) It's about 10 inches tall right now. The top side of the leaves is a mix of red and green.

Since i brought it home (about two weeks) and put a fertilizer tab close to it. It has started to grow some kind of roots pointing downwards from every place where the stem divides. (white stuff you see in the picture)

If anybody could identifie this it would help and i would like to know if i should do something about those roots(cuttings ??)

It's my first planted tank so please be patient with me and try to keep your answer simple so i don't get lost 

Can you help?


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## frozenbarb (Feb 8, 2007)

it could be alternanthera sessflia, not a true aquatic, or a alternanthera lilacina but it looks to dead and skinny for a lilcina


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## freydo (Jan 7, 2006)

it looks like a ludwigia species to me. but trim off whatever dead bits there are and plant it. who knows, it could recover and become one of your favourite plants


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

I don't think it is Alternanthera sessilis, because that species is a dark beet red all over. It looks more like A. reineckii, var. lilacina, but a very skinny one, probably grown under crowded conditions. If it is sessilis, it won't be able to produce leaves underwater.


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## Chipie (Feb 25, 2007)

*more info*

Hi,
Well i thought the plant was dying because it was loosing it's leaves in the pet stores tank. It didn't loose any since i've put it in my tank.

There's no dead parts on it either. It seems like there's a few leaves trying to come out.
And like i said earlier, it is growing roots all over the stem.(see picture)

HeyPk could you give me the full names of A. reineckii, var. lilacina so i can look them up?
Thanks


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

> HeyPk could you give me the full names of A. reineckii, var. lilacina so i can look them up?


As far as I know, it is _Alternanthera reineckii_ 'lilacina, meaning that the lilacina is an informal type name, not an official variety name. Kasselmann, 2003, calls the several varieties _Alternanthera reineckii_ 'pink', 'green', 'purple' and 'red', but I think the type name, lilacina, is used by most growers now.


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## Chipie (Feb 25, 2007)

*Alternanthera reineckii 'lilacina*

Hi,
Yes it seems to be Alternanthera reineckii 'lilacina. I search for pictures on the web and it looks just like it. It's supposed to be a bit difficult to grow but it seems to want to grow in my tank so i'm happy. It does not look good right now but i'm sure it will with a bit of care. Thanks for the help 

Maybe you can help me with this also ? I have two marimo balls (algea balls)and i was wondering if the use of Flourish Excel would hurt it.

I would like to be able to put Regular flourish and excel. What do you think?à

Thanks again.


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