# 'Hemigraphis traian' flower



## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/aquarium-pictures/showimage.php?i=5515&c=3

As you can see from the photo, the flower of this plant looks nothing like any species from the family _Acanthaceae_ (which includes _Hygrophila_ and _Hemigraphis_). I have the so-called _Hemigraphis_ growing emersed under a combination of fluorescent bulbs and sunlight. Unfortunately, I did not see it when it was fresh. What you see above is dried. It is, without any doubt, from that plant.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...ls.php?id=150&category=genus&spec=Hemigraphis

As the structure of the inflorescence is entirely different, and does not at all resemble Hemigraphis and Hygrophila, it looks as though the plant is question is *not* a _Hemigraphis_.

Additionally, I have not been able to find any reference to any plant called 'Hemigraphis traian' in the scientific literature.

The inflorescence does bear a strong resemblance to those of _Shinnersia rivularis_ (Mexican oak leaf) and _Gymnocoronis spilanthoides_, both of which are included in the family _Asteraceae_. I'm not saying that my plant is too, but it is food for thought.

The new uncertainty will be reflected in the Plant Finder, until such time as we can ascertain its true identity.

Edit: There appear to be some technical snags with the Plant Finder entry. They should be resolved soon.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Cool pictures Cavan. Thanks for sharing.


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

yes, very interesting. I kept this plant some time ago and just recently re-acquired it. I'm interested to see what name is eventually attached to it.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

It's not going to be easy. I talked to a botanist who is an expert on _Asteraceae_ and he said that there are other families that have members with globular inflorescences and it might be _Lamiaceae_, which includes mint (_Mentha_), _Pogostemon_ and...bee balm. But we'll see.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

I got word back about this one. It is indeed from the family _Lamiaceae_, or mint family. Further digging will be necessary to discover the genus and species.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Cavan, I sincerely appreciate all the work you do for us. I wouldn't even begin to know where to start.=D>


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

I think a little detective work is fun and enjoy that kind of thing. It's nice to hear that someone appreciates my efforts. You're welcome.


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

Cavan Allen said:


> I think a little detective work is fun and enjoy that kind of thing. It's nice to hear that someone appreciates my efforts. You're welcome.


Cavan, your efforts on the plant finder are invaluable to me. That is the best compilation of aquatic plants and their characteristics I have ever seen. PlantGeek may cover more plants, but the quality isn't anything close to that of the Plant Finder here. In fact the PlantFinder is the primary reason I chose this forum to remain in when I became too busy to participate on multiple forums.


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## aquanut (Jun 26, 2007)

the inflorescence looks like it belongs in Lamiaceae to me as well.

actually, looks like it might really closely related to Plecanthrus.

or not..

http://www.botany.com/hemigraphis.html


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Thank you Hoppy. I can't do it all myself though. AaronT, HeyPK, Carlos, madmax and a couple other people have really been instrumental in making it the resource it is. I'm sure they appreciate the good feedback as much as I do.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

aquanut said:


> the inflorescence looks like it belongs in Lamiaceae to me as well.
> 
> actually, looks like it might really closely related to Plecanthrus.
> 
> ...


I think it _*MAY*_ be a _Hyptis_ species. That genus has a lot of wetland plants and some have inflorescences that look spot on with those of our mystery plant. That's only a possibility at this point. We'll see.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Did I see a shameless plug for one of the "plants" (pardon the pun) on the plant finder?...[smilie=u:


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

hoppycalif said:


> Cavan, your efforts on the plant finder are invaluable to me. That is the best compilation of aquatic plants and their characteristics I have ever seen. PlantGeek may cover more plants, but the quality isn't anything close to that of the Plant Finder here. In fact the PlantFinder is the primary reason I chose this forum to remain in when I became too busy to participate on multiple forums.


PlantFinder was how I found this forum in the first place. It came up in a google search when I was thinking about trying planted tanks awhile back. Invaluable is right! :clap2:

I don't suppose there will be a hardcopy of it in the future to place on my bookshelf? (Has this already been done and I just missed it?) Of coarse, you could leave out the Genus "Pop" in the hardcopy...

-Dave


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Thanks. A book version is certainly a possibility, but if it happens, it will be some time in the future and not any time soon. There is much, much more to do. 

As for the 'pop' entry, it was a test entry to help iron out some problems I was having with the Plant Finder. The crowdgather folks have been really good at helping us fix stuff and it was only meant to be temporary. It was a bit humorous for a little while though...


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

:biggrin:

At last... I only saw one dried inflorescence on this _Hyptis_ species the last time, but now I've got ten on a gigantic plant that has grown well above the water and has roots dominating my 40 breeder. It could easily be three feet tall if it weren't pushing up against the light shield of my fixture. Next week I'll be removing it, chopping it up, preserving it and sending it away for ID confirmation.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

I'd like to point out that the inflorescence in the original post was dried out and did not have any flowers (or even bracts) left. In addition, the entire capitula (this form of inflorescence) grows as more flowers open.


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## ashappard (Jun 3, 2006)

cool looking flower! great work Cavan.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

*Hyptis lorentziana*
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...details.php?id=150&category=genus&spec=Hyptis

At last! I'm very satisfied to finally be able to put a proper name to this one. Information on it is quite hard to find, so I sent the specimen I made overseas and just recently heard back. It turns out - and I believe it - that it grows over six and a half feet tall! There are even a few species in the genus to be found closer to home. Next summer perhaps.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Wow, that took ages to get the real name! Good work Cavan, this is a long fought for victory and well deserved!


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Yep, it can really take a while sometimes. And some can be identified in a day if you have good material.

Here is a specimen (leaf shape is a bit distorted due to pressing):
http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/vrrc/max/JUNC-hypt-lore-bra-1946842.jpg

No more name changes for this one in the Plant Finder! I swear!


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