# Cryptocoryne purpurea needs your help!!



## MiamiAG (Jan 13, 2004)

_"Cryptocoryne purpurea (Purple Water Trumpet) is a beautiful plant that can only be found hidden in the deep swampy waters of Tasek Bera, Malaysia. It had lain submerged in the lake's water, undiscovered until Professor Niels Jacobsen from the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Denmark, stumbled upon it in 1985 during one of his field visits to Pos Iskandar, Tasek Bera. No sooner had it been identified and documented, the Purple Water Trumpet once again returned to obscurity."_

I am quoting from the Ramsar Convention on Wetland website. The site describes the project that is underway to save this plant from extinction because of a loss of its native habitat.

It is important for us as hobbyists to start thinking about helping to save some of these species. How? Tissue culture? Emersed culture?

Any thoughts?


----------



## tsunami (Jan 24, 2004)

Does C. purpurea exist in the US still? Does anyone in this country grow it?

A species maintenance program would be beneficial to uncommon Cryptocorynes or ones with very small rangesin the wild. Some crypts are only known from one locality!

Emersed culture would probably be the best way to keep them going.

Carlos


----------



## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

I recall that C. parva has a very restricted range and should be considered endangered. Quite a few of us Crypt nuts have it, and we should set aside some in emersed culture, just for safe keeping. It is a pretty little plant, but slow to spread. 

Re C. purpurea, I would love to get my hands on some!


----------



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

A reply to a very old topic: the photo's of destroyed habitats on this forum make it very clear that habitats CAN and DO disappear. Of course we CANNOT maintain a real piece of rainforest (with all species) in a small tank, but i believe that we CAN maintain the species which we already have at this moment.

So, is anyone else interested and how are we going to do this?


----------



## chad320 (Mar 30, 2010)

I recieved a specimen that melted immediately submersed so I switched the rhizome to emmersed and it never came back. I had it in MTS with an Eco complete cap and RO water. Is anyone having any success with this one here?


----------



## crypts (Jan 4, 2008)

I recently got a bit of success on this species, the substrate I use is mostly leaf peat mix with sand + some laterite.


----------



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

I would like to get back to this old topic. I would love to try with a submersed culture of C. x purpurea and have two questions: 

Please tell what water parameters would be acceptable, I understand that it is a soft water plant but also that it was widely and successfully grown in aquaria in the past. So I would guess that it can adapt to a certain extent. 

How and where would it be possible to obtain this plant in Europe? I am sure that some specialists have it, but is anyone is having enoug plants to spare one and willing to put it on the mail? Please by pm.


----------



## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

There's the European Cryptocoryne Society; AFAIK this year's meeting will take place in Vienna in the autumn. Usually it's announced on "The Crypts Pages". Mostly the participants bring many crypts with them for swapping. I'd recommend to mail J. Bastmeijer and/or N. Jacobsen.

There are several C. x purpurea forms, mostly with red spathe, the one with the yellow spathe in crypts' posting looks untypical, rather like a C. cordata. 
About 2 years ago a "C. x purpurea" in in-vitro culture popped up in the trade; I heard that it was probably not a x purpurea but a cordata. But I didn't see it flowering.

As for the quote from the Ramsar website: the x purpurea is also known from other localities, the type comes from Kota Tingii; see "The Crypts Pages".


----------



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

This plant from in-vitro culture, is that the one offered here?: http://www.aqua-pflanzen.de/pflanzen.htm

I found it also on another page but suspect that the source is the above. I wrote her for information and a price.

I know about the Vienna-meeting but although it is not so far for me (I am in Slovenia), I doupt that I can go because of both limited time and finances. Salaries here are stepwise reduced (crisis ... ) and costs of living are increasing. To go "just for my hobby" a few days abroad is becoming difficult. I rather search for someone who might be willing to put some plants on the mail - could be payed.

I am most interested in the "old" nothovar. purpurea.

I just measured a pH of 8 and plan to bring this down to 7 or so, but stepwise to not harm my other submersed plants.


----------



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

I found out that the sand which I use in my aquaria contains a lot of calcium and is therefore rather unsuitable for this plant. I will have to change this, clearly. Perhaps only then it makes sense to use different (rain) water and get to slightly acid, soft water? Some more experiences would be welcome!

No answer from the lady in Germany.


----------



## orchidnutz (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi there from Canada, eh;
I am currently keeping a number of different locations of xpurpurea.

purpurea "Mawai Johor"
purpurea
purpurea Variant GG001 
nothovar. borneoensis
nothovar. borneoensis Sampit

Way back in the 70's when I first go the AS purpurea, I don't really think it was purpurea. It more closely resembled a cordata type. Contrary to what many people wish to do with it, I grow it submersed.
When I get enough runners from my specimens, I will be happy to share them with you.
Jim


----------



## illustrator (Jul 18, 2010)

This is the second time in the last weeks that I heard/read the opinion that the "old purpurea" might have been a cordata! 

I would like to try to obtain x purpurea here in Europe, which would save both a long postage time and possible legal complications (phytosanitary certificate and extra complications because it has to be "applesnail-free" - which I know doesn't make too much sense but is a new legal requirement. I don't know how seriously they enforce it.)

However, I really would like to know as much as possible about how you grow them because I too would like to try growing them submersed. Can you please tell what water you use and which soil and light?


----------



## orchidnutz (Mar 28, 2011)

Hi there;
I keep them singly in 4" plastic pots. The Substrate is as follows:
5 parts black loam:3 parts finely chopped peat:1 part cow manure:1 part sheep manure:1ounce iron filings:1 part Terra Cotta red clay (I have a source near my house) 1 part worm castings. The 1 part Terra Cotta red clay & 1 part worm castings are optional

Top Dressing 
ADA Amazonia, fine gravel or Rona washed sand (Home Depot sand is filthy)

Water 
Rain + RO (NEVER DISTILLED WATER!!!!) 

Light
2 T8 bulbs abouy 10 inches (25cm) above the tanks

I am definitely not saying that this is the right way ... just the way I do it.

For the black water Crypts, I use the same everything except I add alder cones and almond leaves to make the water more acidic.

For the For plants requiring Hard, Limestone Based water

Substrate
5 loam:1 cow:1 sheep:1 castings:1 powdered limestone:1ounce iron filing

Top Dressing fine gravel or Rona washed sand (Home Depot sand is filthy)

Water tap water pH 7-8 ppm150-250

For plants that don't care

cut down to 1 peat moss and 1/2 limestone.
Adding 1 part worm castings to each formula is also an excellent addition

If you are going to a strictly dirt tank WITHOUT fish, you can use washed Amazonia or gravel.
If you are going to a strictly dirt tank WITH fish, use Rona sand (gravel destroys Cory whiskers.)

I prefer using about 2 - 3 inches of sand over the soil mixture. It seems to force the roots to grow very thick, very fast. Then, when the roots reach the soil mix, the plants seem to grow much more quickly and much stronger.

Now, for the chemists out there that are thinking that I am a silly buffoon for using an unusable form of iron (filings) in my formula for plant substrate, a word. It is true that plants can not use FERRIC OXIDE to obtain the iron they need for growth. HOWEVER FERRIC OXIDE in the presence of anaerobic bacteria reduces FERRIC OXIDE to FERROUS OXIDE, which is a form that the plant can use in the uptake of iron.

I know that this sounds like a pain in the butt, but it is well worth it.

I hope this helps.

All the best
Jim


----------

