# Hygrophila sp. 'Red'



## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

This post is just for showing off and more people will hate me than love me for posting this. But I recently added a Hygrophila red/green, ehich I believe is Hygrophila sp. 'Red' from the plantfinder, to a showtank at my lfs. I know this is probably faded from the scene at the USA, but it looks really good although huge, but here it is:


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

I don't hate you, maybe just dislike you a little bit.  

Yes, it is gone from the USA hobby. I had it at one time, but it's just so darn big I don't think anyone had room for it.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

Haha, it's huge indeed! Much larger than I expected from the emersed plant.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

@Johan: I'm afraid I've asked already the same somewhere in the forum (don't find it again): could the plant that's sold as "Red Green" here be the same?: http://www.extraplant.com/aquariumplants/hygrophila-spec-red-green.html
Has your plant a creeping habit in the submerged form, as described in the Hygro "Red" plantfinder entry? What's the approximate length and width of the leaves?
If there's a possibility to grow it emersed, it has to be flowered (perhaps the plants have already flowers or fruits when they are delivered from the nursery).

[EDIT] I didn't read exactly, my first question is answered:


> But I recently added a Hygrophila red/green, ehich I believe is Hygrophila sp. 'Red' from the plantfinder,


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## Tugg (Jul 28, 2013)

Good lord... are those leaves like 5-6 inches? I've though about pulling my Hygrophila polysperma just because the 3" leaves are annoying me. The only thing saving it is the pink it's taken on at the top.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Yo-han,

That plant looks remarkably like a plant we have in our club here in Seattle that we believe is Hygrophila lancea; H. sp 'Bold' also has elongated leaves with reddish color. Possibly Cavan will step in and give us a hand.

Here is the H. lancea we have here in Seattle. It is growing in low light (PAR=25) where you can see the long leaves; it gets more reddish in high light.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

miremonster said:


> @Johan: I'm afraid I've asked already the same somewhere in the forum (don't find it again): could the plant that's sold as "Red Green" here be the same?: http://www.extraplant.com/aquariumplants/hygrophila-spec-red-green.html
> Has your plant a creeping habit in the submerged form, as described in the Hygro "Red" plantfinder entry? What's the approximate length and width of the leaves?
> If there's a possibility to grow it emersed, it has to be flowered (perhaps the plants have already flowers or fruits when they are delivered from the nursery).
> 
> [EDIT] I didn't read exactly, my first question is answered:


Like you already answered, the emersed plant looks exactly like the one in your link. The biggest leaves are over 12 cm (5 inch) by 1,5 cm (0.5 inch) wide. It was not really creeping yet, but it was grown under quite low light. Perhaps with more light, it will creep more.

I bought it emersed but it had no flowers, and unless it will do at room humidity, I'm not in the position to make it flower.

@Seattle: I don't think this is the same plant. Mine has never been that bright green, even while it was grown under low light. Mine grows way more horizontal, even the new leaves and has wider leaves. And from your picture, mine has more clearly visible nerves/veins as well.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

@Johan: Thank you for the infos! Do you see that the submerged(!) stems are hairy, as the several Staurogyne species in the hobby? (it could be that the H. "Red" in the U.S. was a Staurogyne)
Cavan mentioned elsewhere that Staurogyne species never have cystoliths in the leaves, in contrast to Hygrophila. If present, visible as short lines in transmitted light.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

I'll have to check that tomorrow but I didn't noticed it to be hairy before, so I guess not. I've seen this with Staurogynes but more emersed than submersed. About the cystoliths (which I needed to Google first), I'll check that tomorrow as well. Is it visible by the naked eye, or do I need magnification?

I guess I'll need to put a stem in my tank at home next to the aromatica/hippuridiodes collection


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Roy, 

That is a MUCH different plant. The 'red' is much larger and creeps. 

Yo-han,

You should be able to see cystoliths with a hand lens.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

This picture is really old, but when I had it I grew it outside in a tub pond. I don't recall it being hirtellous at all.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

AaronT said:


> This picture is really old, but when I had it I grew it outside in a tub pond. I don't recall it being hirtellous at all.


The emersed version of my plant looks like way more green. Like in mires link. So if yours is Hygrophila sp. 'red' than mine is something different.

@Cavan & mire: I did see very narrow dark lines. They looked like small veins. Not straight, but a little curved. So more likely a Hygrophila?


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Don't be fooled by how these look emersed; they can vary a LOT based on conditions. I think now that is likely is a _Hygrophila_. Doesn't sound like you're looking at cystoliths though. They should look like little grains of rice and not connected to anything.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

The only photos of Hygrophila cystoliths I've found in the web are these of H. difformis here:
http://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index.php?topic=10215.0
http://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index.php?topic=10215.15
Cystoliths of Ruellia, a relative of Hygro: http://chalk.richmond.edu/flora-kax...059_leaf_cystoliths_adaxial_3mm_width_01s.JPG


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Yeah, keep in mind that was grown outside in full sun in the summer time. The emersed stuff you got might have come from a lower light situation or some other variable could change the color. The submersed pic you took definitely looks like it did for me in the tank.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

By the way, there's a plant that I know only from photos and descriptions: Hygrophila salicifolia "Rot" ("Red"). Emersed habit described here (further below!): http://www.heimbiotop.de/hygrophila.html#sal Emersed leaves to ca. 10 cm long, 2 cm broad; stem very stiff. Maybe it has something to do with the H. sp. "Red"? However I don't know how salicifolia "Rot" looks in the submerged form.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

_Hygrophila_ taxonomy is very confusing, and most likely a revision of the genus needs to be made. That has not happened though.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Cavan Allen said:


> _Hygrophila_ taxonomy is very confusing, and most likely a revision of the genus needs to be made. That has not happened though.


I also hope that such a project will be tackled; do you know if there are taxonomists planning a revision of Hygro as a whole?

As for the H. salicifolia "Rot", I meant only that particular strain/clone (that I still have to get in order to check if it's the same plant as the H. sp. "Red"), regardless the correctness of the botanical name H. salicifolia. If I understand the info on heimbiotop.de right, that plant seems to belong at least to the group that they call H. ringens in the Flora of China, including salicifolia, angustifolia, lancea etc.


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