From: ted.held at us.henkel.com (ted.held at us.henkel.com) on 2008.03.20 at 20:36:17(17195)
Marek,
Cryptocoryne leaves are adaptable things. If you plant three plants, each
in a different water level, you will typically get three different leaf
morphologies. If you switch one of those plants to another water depth you
may lose all the existing leaves, since those leaves are probably not well
suited to the new environment. New leaves that emerge in the new situation
will be suited to the new conditions. You hear that this or that Crypt
plant has two different-looking leaves on the same plant. This is what has
happened to create such plants.
This means that if you buy a plant with soft leaves and plant it emerse,
the old leaves will lay around and look strange for a couple of months (if
they don't die first). But any new leaves will be comparatively tough and
stand tall, more or less, in the emerse situation.
I know this list has a devil of a time with plant IDs. Believe me, Crypts
are ridiculously more complex if the leaves are all you have to go on.
Then there are the issues of rampant polyploidy, unscrupulous importers
and dealers, poor historical records regarding IDs and collection
locations, and only a handful of real specialist hobbyists.
I'm just glad you have a couple of plants and have taken the time to
observe them.
Ted.
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