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Plant ID help

Started by Guest_Thalan_* , Nov 04 2009 12:37 AM

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8 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_Thalan_*

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Posted 04 November 2009 - 12:37 AM

Found a clump of this in a pond by my house today. Odd because I rarely see any green growth in the water, mostly just old spanish moss and plenty of brown algae. Closest I've come to IDing it is Micranthemum Umbrosum but I could be totally wrong. Is it even aquatic? Any idea on light requirement or if it will regrow from a stray clump placed in my tank?
Posted Image

Edited by Thalan, 04 November 2009 - 12:38 AM.

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#2 Guest_catfish_hunter_*

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Posted 04 November 2009 - 01:21 AM

That looks like either Bacopa or Ludwigia to my eyes, but what do I know. Just my hypothesis.

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#3 Guest_Thalan_*

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Posted 04 November 2009 - 01:52 AM

Bacopa is much fleshier, and ludwigia doesn't have round leaves that I've seen

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#4 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 04 November 2009 - 08:04 AM

M. umbrosum does grow in your area. I can't see your image, but it is a small, fine plant with opposite round leaves. When I see it the leaves are usually between 1/8 and 1/4 inch, but some of the cultivated aquarium varieties can have bigger leaves. When growing out of the water, it is always in very moist/wet soil, and it grows as a compact little groundcover. When grown under water, it gets taller and less dense. It can definitely be grown in an aquarium. I would use medium to high light, and a very fine gravel or soil substrate. If you didn't get any roots, just stick the bottom of the stems into the substrate.

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#5 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 04 November 2009 - 09:29 AM

It looks like the low-growing loosestrife Lysimachia nummularia, AKA creeping jenny or moneywort, to me. It's a common moisture-loving invasive; I've seen it anywhere from pond and swamp margins to occasionally inundated floodplains and moist lawns. I don't usually see it growing in permanently submerged areas, but it might grow submersed in the aquarium with good lighting.

See if you agree, Laura:

Thalansplant.jpg 52.6KB 0 downloads

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#6 Guest_gerald_*

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Posted 05 November 2009 - 11:04 AM

Newt may be right. Here's a pic of Lysimachia nummularia and Micranthemum umbrosum side-by-side.
Micranthemum is the one with smaller leaves and thinner stems. Both are opposite and root at nodes. Lysimachia can grow in sunny or shady places, but Micranthemum I always see in full sun. I grow Lysimachia in a half-submerged pot in a wading pool, and the trailing stems and roots spread out a foot or more around the pot making great spawning habitat for my Fundulus.

Lysimac.nummu+Micranth.umbros.036.jpg 370.69KB 3 downloads

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#7 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 05 November 2009 - 02:14 PM

Gosh, I'm not really liking either of those options. Could be Bacopa rotundifolia, which has thinner leaves than B. carolineana. Can you get a close-up photo of the underside of some of the leaves? Lysimachia will have distinct veins that are pinnate, almost arcuate at times. The veins on Micranthemum are palmate, but pretty indistinct. Bacopa will be palmate. I'm not really sure about your sample, but one of the leaves looks palmate. Also, L. nummularia leaves will be slightly emarginate, (meaning that they are a tiny bit lobed at the base), and can be almost reniform (kidney shaped) at the tip sometimes. A close up of the leaf underside would definitely help.

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#8 Guest_Thalan_*

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Posted 06 November 2009 - 06:34 AM

I'll see what I can do. The previous pic is actually from my scanner because I didn't have a camera handy. I'll try and get some more shots but make no promises on autofocus' ability to show any detail.

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#9 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 06 November 2009 - 11:07 AM

If you are using a point-and-shoot digital camera, look to see if there is a macro/close-up setting. I think most little cameras that have this setting show it as a little flower on the button.