# Help ID these things



## junebug (Aug 5, 2013)

I've been looking for a positive ID on these plants for a while. I want to try to locate them to add to a central american biotope, but have been unable to get a positive ID.

What looks like star moss:
http://photos.mongabay.com/yucatan/cenotes062.html
http://photos.mongabay.com/yucatan/cenotes039.html

Some kind of sword:
http://photos.mongabay.com/yucatan/cenotes190.html
http://photos.mongabay.com/yucatan/cenotes186.html
http://photos.mongabay.com/yucatan/cenotes185.html

If anyone can help me ID these, I'd really appreciate it. I especially like the moss and want to add some to my swordtail biotope.


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## junebug (Aug 5, 2013)

Anyone??


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

The first one looks like a _Chara_ species, which are freshwater macro algae. Impossible to say which one, but they are widespread, so you could find something similar. I'm not sure if anyone has really cultured them successfully.

The other probably is an _Echinodorus_, but again, that's a really tough one. Not so great photos of submersed, sterile specimens? Eh... Perhaps miremonster will have an idea here.


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## junebug (Aug 5, 2013)

Thanks for the reply, Cavan.

Ugh, Chara? *ickface* I'm not entirely sure I want stinky algae in my bedroom... lol. I thought it was a nice, heavy moss plant.

Yeah I'm sure the second plant is a type of sword (possibly two types. I'm not entirely sure all three photos are of the same plant). It looks like a wild, scraggly version of my radican swords lol.

Unfortunately these are the only photos I was able to find from the Cenotes biotope. Mongabay is a great place, but I wish they had better info sometimes :/


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Here I am 
In that thread I've linked the Mongabay pics as example for submerged _Acrostichum_ (mangrove fern): http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ommon-ceratopteris-pteridoides-aquaria-2.html
See also drug's plant from India, IMO also juvenile Acrostichum: http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plant-id/68253-plant-id-2.html


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

p.s.
just found:
Schmitter-Soto & al., 2002, Hydrogeochemical and biological characteristics of cenotes in the Yucatan
Peninsula (SE Mexico)
http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j...cB4b5cVxhm52jqSXOEQt2Og&bvm=bv.59930103,d.Yms
On pp. 221 & 222 Acrostichum danaefolium and Chara are listed.


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## junebug (Aug 5, 2013)

I'm a little confused, miremonster. The pictures of acrostichum don't look like either of these plants :/ Thanks for that last link though! Great info on plants from this area. Gonna give me some ideas of what to buy.

I actually added mayaca fluvitalis to this tank. It looks a lot like the "moss" in the pictures except that it's a stem, but at least it gives me some of that look in the tank. Hopefully I can get it going really well.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

In juvenile Acrostichum plants the leaves are first simple, then they have only few segments. There are only few pics of juvenile plants in the web.
Hydrophyte shows a young Acrostichum danaeifolium here:
http://www.aquaticplantenthusiasts.com/ripariums/3091-riparium-pictures-here-there.html


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## junebug (Aug 5, 2013)

Ohh the sword-looking one. Cool! Thanks miremonster


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