# Please help to identify this plant



## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Could anyone please help to identify this plant? I really hope it's not immersed form of Echinodorus tenellus/Helianthium tenellum as I already have 2 tanks of them.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

I'm pretty sure that's at least some kind of Helanthium, still with emersed leaves. Flowering H. tenellum can be distinguished from other Helanthiums, but without flowers it's rather possible by the submersed habit. 
There are some H. bolivianum forms with broader emersed leaves than Your plant and H. tenellum, but also ones with such narrowly lanceolate leaves like this. E.g. the plant commonly known as Echinodorus latifolius. But the submerged leaves of this plant are light green and much broader than in the usual H. tenellum form with very narrow, olive green to reddish leaves.
Also the very long Helanthium sp. "Angustifolius" = Echinodorus angustifolius has narrowly lanceolate leaves in the terrestrial form.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Thank you very much for the response.

I actually thought it's some kind of Lilaeopsis due to the broader leaves but I had never thought it's in emersed form. I have posted it in another forum as well but every post has a different opinion. Maybe it's hard to tell at this moment. I'll wait for a few months to see whether the current leaves are submerged form or not. It's quite common for those LFS that I found these plants to sell them in emersed form. Anyway feel free to comment if you have any idea.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

The answer miremonster gave you is a very good one; I'd go with what he said.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

I would rule out Lilaeopsis based on the veining. Lilaeopsis spp. are parallel-veined, they don't have a strong center vein like that with secondary veins branching off. I agree with miremonster, probably an emersed form of a Helanthium species.


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

When you get some emersed leaves, we will be better able to identify it. It might turn out to be Helanthium bolivianum.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Most likely it's Helianthium tenellum because this is the only common Helianthium sold at the LFS in my country. :-x


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

HeyPK said:


> When you get some emersed leaves, we will be better able to identify it. It might turn out to be Helanthium bolivianum.


IMO the leaves in the pic are emersed ones. 
Btw., it seems to be difficult to define H. bolivianum; Samuli Lehtonen & Daniel Falck have found out by their analyses that there are 2 Helanthium groups / clades, 
1) the "narrow leaved" incl. H. tenellum and 
2) the "broad leaved" incl. H. bolivianum,
but likely each group with several species. Confusingly E. angustifolius belongs to 1) and a plant known in the U.S. as E. tenellus 'normal' (Neil Frank's article) to 2), and clustering with the plant known as E. latifolius.
http://www.isentio.com/downloads/Lehtonen_from_Ornamental_FP.pdf (also an article in German in the Aqua Planta 1-2012)
http://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/Chainswords-NeilFrank.htm


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## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

OOPS! I mean't to say when you get some submersed leaves. I knew those were emersed ones. I was thinking one thing and saying the opposite.


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## totziens (Jun 28, 2008)

Thanks to all of you for the response. The info is very helpful. I have noticed narrow version of the plants have started to grow. I am quite possitive that they're indeed Helianthium tenellum 

I have adopted additional unknown plants from a friend last weekend - even my friend is not sure of the names. I also need help to identify them but there's no clear photo at this moment. Hope I am able to spend some time taking the photo this weekend as I prepare for water disruption in my area 

Miremonster, I love the links given. Excellent sites. Thanks.


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