# Need an ID on this stem plant, and moss.



## afedakendragon (Sep 12, 2006)

(Also posted this on rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants, but I thought I'd try my luck here, since APC appears to be much more active.)

Went on a collection trip today, at Crum Creek in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Picked up two interesting plants, one a pretty stem plant, with somewhat red stems and green, almost scalloped thin leaves. The other a moss.

http://www.sonnani.com/aquaria/unknown_plant_1_small.jpg
This is the first plant. Found it in Smedley Park, in about one foot of slow moving water. Water temperature felt cool. If I had to estimate I'd say it was arond 50F. Substrate was mostly silt and river gravel. The plant did have a root system. It did not attach to larger rocks, and was found only in the gravel and silt. The stand of plants was fairly large, covering large portions of a two foot square area.

http://www.sonnani.com/aquaria/unknown_plant_2_small.jpg
This moss was found in another part of the creek, in fast moving waters. It did not attach to silt or gravel, and was only found on rocks. The sample I collected also contained a planaria (my first one! Whee!) numerous amphipods, several small limpet like inverts, and a few swimming things that were too small for me to ID without my microscope.

There was also the usual giant stands of anacharis, but as I already had more of that than I know what to do with, I refrained from collecting any. In the past, I've seen various grasses in this area as well. I'm not at all sure if they were marginal or truly aquatic, but since I didn't see any on this trip, it was a moot point.

Are there any folks out there who happen to recognize these plants? I do have access to some macrophotography equipment, and possibly a microscope if either will help in the identification.

Thanks!


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

The first one is a _Potamogeton_. It's probably _P. crispus_.

Large image for Potamogeton crispus (curly pondweed) | USDA PLANTS

The second looks like a is _Fissidens _species. That's some nice stuff! _ F. fontanus_ and _nobilis _are the only ones I'm really all that familiar with, and it might be one of those, but it's hard to say.

Welcome to APC!


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## afedakendragon (Sep 12, 2006)

Cavan Allen said:


> The first one is a _Potamogeton_. It's probably _P. crispus_.
> 
> Large image for Potamogeton crispus (curly pondweed) | USDA PLANTS


Ooo! Thank you for the ID! Looks like it's a european import. Kinda pretty! The more I look at it, the more I like it. I think I'll see how it takes to tropical temps, with ferts and CO2.


Cavan Allen said:


> The second looks like a is _Fissidens _species. That's some nice stuff! _ F. fontanus_ and _nobilis _are the only ones I'm really all that familiar with, and it might be one of those, but it's hard to say.


The same fissidens that everyone is raving about? I ordered some F. nobilis and F. fontanus from Aquabid, so I guess I'll try to do a visual comparison when it gets here. If it ends up being either, I'll be kicking myself for paying the $20. While it isn't quite a weed, it's certainly not rare in these streams.



Cavan Allen said:


> Welcome to APC!


Thank you much. Seems like an active, and well established community.


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