# years of introduction?



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

Dear all,

The atlas from Baensch gives "years of first introduction into the hobby" for fish, but not for plants. For a few crypts the year of introduction is easy to find ("_C. haertelliana_" comes to mind), but does anyone have an overview when species were first imported, even if it is not exact?

I have a version of the Innes book from 1966, which mentiones:
_C. griffithii _( = "the old _C. purpurea_", which is likely a form of _C. cordata _according to some older topic here), 
_C. ciliata_, 
_C. willisii _( = _C. undulata_?), 
_C. cordata_, 
_C. beckettii _,
_C. haertelliana_ ( = _C. affinis_, old strain) and
_C. longicauda_.

A Slovenian aquarium book from 1964 mentions largely the same: 
_C. nevillii_ ( = _C._ x_willisii_ from the description), 
_C. affinis_ (with _C. haertelliana _listed as synonim)
_C. beckettii _,
_C. cordata_, 
_C. griffithii _ and
_C. willisii _( = _C. undulata_?)

I have a scan of the version of the Innes book from 1936, which mentions only the genus, but has a drawing which could be _C. beckettii _in my opinion.

I think that it would be interesting to collect some of these old aquarium strains, from a historical point of view. Can any of you add more details to this part of aquarium history?

Paul


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

I have another old book, a German book by G. Bruenner from 1964. Actually I have the Dutch translation from 1965, but I think that it follows the original. He mentions the following species:

_C. blassii_,
_C. nevillii_ (= _C. xwillisii_?)
_C. thwaitesii_,
_C. versteegii_ (with a note that it is less recomendable)
_C. affinis_,
_C. beckettii_,
_C. griffithii_ (with a note that the plant with this name in aquaria is in fact _C. purpurea_)
_C. cordata_ (synonim _C. grandis_)
_C. johorensis_ (he notes that it is easy and forms many runners - now seen as a form of _C. longicauda_)
_C. longicauda_ (with a note that it is undemanding and survives in low light)
_C. lutea_,
_C. spiralis_ (note that it is rare in trade),
_C. wendtii_ (note that it is highly recomendable),
_C. willisii_ (note that it grows quickly and synonim _C. pseudo-beckettii_)
_C. balansae_ (synonim _C. "somphongsii_")
_C. ciliata_,
_C. purpurea_,
_C. retrospiralis_

From this I have the impression that Bruenner was a specialist who grew a number of plants which were not generally in trade back then. He probably listed all he had experience with.

Then I have a book from Schiotz & Dahlstrom from 1969 (again I have a Dutch translation). This is a bit difficult book as it does not list plants in the index and has illustrations of plants spread in non-systematic order as a background for fish illustrations. It gives only very short notes about each plant. The illustrations appear accurate and are worth giving a second look. It mentions the following species:

_C. petchii_ (now seen as triploid _C. beckettii_)
_C. willisii _(from the picture it is clear that this is what we now call_ C._ x_willisii_), 
_C. nevillii_ (= _C. undulata_?)
_C. griffithii_ (note that it is often called _C. cordata _but that the real _C. cordata _is likely never imported)
_C. aponogetifolia_,
_C. beckettii _(note that it was formerly called _C. ciliata_!),
_C. undulata _,
_C. blassi_

The picture of _C. nevillii_ appears to me like it is made after an emersed grown plant. Interestingly, just yesterday I obtained a plant under the name _C. willisii_ which actually matches the picture of _C. nevillii_ in Schiotz & Dahlstrom! The name _C. willisii _is an invalid synonim for _C. undulata _according to Jan Bastmeijer's page and _C. nevillii _is an "old misidentification" for the same plant. So likely I got the "old" _C. undulata _with the "old wrong name" ... I am curious how it will look submersed. Perhaps I should try to grow it emersed as well to get it to flowering?

From these books it is that in the 1960's practically all "current" _Cryptocoryne_, with the possible exeption of _C. wendtii_, were already well known in the hobby, at least in Europe. Also interesting is that Schiotz & Dahlstrom do not mention _C. affinis_, which used to be the most widely grown _Cryptocoryne_ in the 1950's. Perhaps it was already not so widely grown by the end of the 1960's?


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

Does anyone have aquarium books from the 1950's, perhaps some of the (many) versions from the Innes book?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

An interesting idea.

I do not own any aquarium books, but I believe asukawashere has a few. She might be able to help you if you send her a message.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

This shows they came in three waves: the 1930s, the 1960s and 1990s. Every 30 years.

https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...hing=3&share=&direct_url=t1;,cryptocoryne;,c0


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

rs79 said:


> This shows they came in three waves: the 1930s, the 1960s and 1990s. Every 30 years.
> 
> https://books.google.com/ngrams/gra...hing=3&share=&direct_url=t1;,cryptocoryne;,c0


Only 5 more years to go for the next installment!!


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## jrill (Nov 20, 2013)

illustrator said:


> Does anyone have aquarium books from the 1950's, perhaps some of the (many) versions from the Innes book?


I just dusted off my 1956 innes.
Talks about
Griffithi
Ciliata
Willisii
Cordata
Becketti
Haerteliana
Longicauda
Has a side by side comparison of five leaves from select crypts.


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## BruceF (Aug 5, 2011)

Off topic a bit but does anybody know who this guy is? 
http://crypts.aquaria.net/species/alpha/b/


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## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

If you scroll down it states Richard J. Sexton. Not an unknown name when it comes to crypts ...


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