# Zukalii spathe and seed pod



## MissileBear (Feb 28, 2013)

My Zukalii sent up another spathe yesterday; this plant has been a frequent bloomer for me. You can see the seed pod towards the base of the plant.


----------



## Tattooedfool83 (Jul 7, 2013)

That is beautiful


----------



## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Interesting seed pod. Looks likle the moss is getting ready to send out spores.


----------



## denske (Jul 28, 2013)

Damn, that is a beautiful spathe. Good job man. Hope I can get mine to throw one. What is your substrate again?


----------



## Sjb1987 (Aug 2, 2011)

Very beautiful! !


----------



## 954baby (Feb 8, 2008)

I've got a bunch of seeds if you'd like to trade for a few


----------



## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

It's so cool that you've got a seed pod—my zukalii has flowered, but the spathes just melted afterward... no other plants to fertilize them. Zukalii has such a cool spathe, too, all orange-yellow and such.


----------



## Kai Witte (Jan 30, 2006)

Any updates on the seed pot? (They do take a good while to develop...)

While self pollination of crypts is rare to begin with, zukalii would be an even weirder parent for selfing (being a natural hybrid with highly reduced pollen fertility)!


----------



## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

I don't have relevant literature at hand here - how about aquarium suitability of Cryptocoryne zukalii?


----------



## hobbes1911 (Oct 19, 2009)

Great plant! What conditions do you have the plant in (water substrate light etc.)?


----------



## Kai Witte (Jan 30, 2006)

miremonster said:


> I don't have relevant literature at hand here - how about aquarium suitability of Cryptocoryne zukalii?


In soft and slightly acid water it grows well submersed, no problems.


----------



## saddletramp (Sep 16, 2012)

The true zukalii, which I have, does well emersed in a combination of basic mix plus some oak leafmold. It has bloomed three time in the last four months.
It is not a problem plant, but seems slow to put out runners. Perhaps that is typical of zukalii. Any ideas?
Bill


----------



## Kai Witte (Jan 30, 2006)

I haven't noticed that zukalii is especially reluctant to put out runners.

What I quite commonly find in many species, is that a given specimen may happen to concentrate on flowering and another individual may be busy sending out multiple runners while having few if any inflorescences (even with plants originating from a single clone).


----------



## saddletramp (Sep 16, 2012)

Kai, what are your thoughts in that regard with striolata?? Plants, but no runners?? 

Or, elliptica, which grows new plants from the base of removed leaves. Mine gets no runners. 

Your thoughts? Anyone"s thoughts?
Bill


----------



## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Kai Witte said:


> In soft and slightly acid water it grows well submersed, no problems.


Thank you! I could imagine, comparable to e.g. C. cordata var. cordata and x purpurea.


----------



## Kai Witte (Jan 30, 2006)

Yes, I had mine in a moderate blackwater tank. In low light it showed softer leaves than the typical aquarium strains of cordata (var. siamensis).

If you have a tank with x purpurea (nothovar. purpurea) growing nicely, I can see no reason for zukalii not doing fine as well.


----------



## Kai Witte (Jan 30, 2006)

Hello saddletramp,



> Kai, what are your thoughts in that regard with striolata?? Plants, but no runners??
> 
> Or, elliptica, which grows new plants from the base of removed leaves. Mine gets no runners.


Yes, there are some crypts which apparently don't put out runners. Or at least extremely rarely.

C. cognata is said to have no runners; I haven't seen any runners from sivadasanii either.

C. thwaitesii only grows rhizomes which can be carefully divided for propagation.

I've been culturing and actively propagating elliptica for some 10 years and never saw a runner; I recently heard from someone's elliptica with a runner - need to confirm.

Same-o with striolata: many strains with no runners; however, I had striolata from Muara Teweh sending out runners once in a while (after several years of culture).


----------

