# Monosolenium tenerum



## metfan581 (Jul 20, 2006)

Does any one know anything about: *Monosolenium tenerum*

"For some time Tropica has been selling a plant known as "Pellia", which has now been renamed Monosolenium tenerum." 

















How does it grow...Is it a good biginner plant...Conditions for life...I would like to have a plant that looks like the first picture...How do you accomplish that...

Thanks,
metfan581


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

I think it was always called Monosolenium tenerum. and named Pellia for short. Anyways, it's a really easy plant (liverwort?) to grow. I found that it grows in pretty much in any condition (much like mosses). 

I've grown it in a low light (less than 2.0 wpg), no CO2, and no ferts, and it grew fine. When left alone, it sort of grows into that ball on its own. Trimming to shape makes it more perfect. 

-John N.


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## 247Plants (Mar 23, 2006)

I have some and lemme tell ya once it gets used to its enviornment it grows like crazy! HIgher lights and adequate ferts seemed to be a good combination for me ....I wasnt using CO2 at the time and it still grew like crazy. It did over time start to show up in weird parts of my tank causing little detritus collectors so be careful when you trim....

Edit...I actually got mine from John------^


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

247Plants said:


> I have some and lemme tell ya once it gets used to its enviornment it grows like crazy! ....I actually got mine from John------^


Kurtis, I'm glad the pellia growing well for ya since I sent it to you a few months back. It really is an easy plant to grow, I always see a few strands stuck here and there inside the tank. But good thing it's a low tech/low light tank so the growth doesn't get uncontrollable and stuck in every little niche it can stay stuck in. 

-John N.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Hi, 
the name "_Pellia_" for this liverwort was due to a wrong identification. The similar but not related liverwort genus _Pellia_ does exist in fact. So the newly introduced aquarium plant was thought to be the widespread liverwort _Pellia endiviifolia_, probably after a depiction in the German book "Urania Pflanzenreich". A few years ago the bryologist Prof. S.R. Gradstein (University of Goettingen) identified the new aquarium plant (material from Tropica and Hans Barth (Dessau, Germany) that I gave him) as _Monosolenium tenerum_, a rather rare Asian liverwort. (referred in the German Journal "Aqua Planta")
By the way, M. tenerum grows very well emersed on moist soil or rock. It is suitable for moist terrariums or paludariums.


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## 247Plants (Mar 23, 2006)

Oh ya...Got any links or pics?


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Hello Kurtis
http://www.tropica.dk/article.asp?type=aquaristic&id=564


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## 247Plants (Mar 23, 2006)

> The similar but not related liverwort genus Pellia does exist in fact.


Ive read the Tropica article.....I was referring to the line above.


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## metfan581 (Jul 20, 2006)

i would love to get my hands on some to try


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## aquatic-store.com (Jun 23, 2004)

Pretty Easy growing plant That i have grown easily in bare bottomed tanks.
Piesces girl has a pic here http://www.fish-forums.com/board/files/thumbs/t_pelia.jpg
I got mine from Gomer and Teh only problem I have had is if i overdose on excell it doenst like that.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

247Plants said:


> Ive read the Tropica article.....I was referring to the line above.


I'm a little late with my posting; here, finally, true pellias, but not submerged.

Pellia endiviifolia, now in the autumn/winter with fine brittle branchings (the endings of the thallus thereby looking similar to a Riccardia), in the summer it looks really similar to emersed Monosolenium, but the thallus is mostly narrower. (Scale: millimeters): 

















Pellia epiphylla is even more similar to Monosolenium tenerum, but not as frequent as P. endiviifolia (the spore capsules don't belong to the Pellia!): 

















I've tried to cultivate Pellia endiviifolia in a tank, it produced light green thin upright shoots, but soon it was covered with algae 

P. endiviifolia grows mostly on moist or wet calcareous places in Germany and wide parts of the northern hemisphere, e.g. moist path sides, limestone waterfalls and streambanks.
P. epiphylla grows rather on banks of mountain streams with soft water.

There are lots of other similar liverwort species in the world, e.g. Symphyogyna brasiliensis, here in the botanical garden of Goettingen:


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Very interesting. It looks so similar to Subwassertang (I know, it's the wrong name...)


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

Tex Gal said:


> ...Subwassertang (I know, it's the wrong name...)


Yes... anyone considered this odd german character looking like the greek "beta" ("es-zet" or "sharp s") as a "b"... "Suesswassertang" would be closer to the german word. How about the translation "freshwater seaweed"? 
I would prefer the name "Loma fern", proposed on killies.com, but it seems to be not really accepted.


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