Hygrophila pinnatifida (phoenix fern hydro)

I've got a bit of it growing emersed right now. Don't have space for it in my tanks ATM but it is a cool plant. Definitely a background species, as it gets pretty huge. I remember back when it first came to the U.S. a couple years back, introduced via the AGA convention... it went for $50 a stem back then. Within a year, it'd dropped to $5/stem and now it's $5/bunch LOL. It is perhaps a bit more needy than, say, Hygro corymbosa or H. difformis, but there are still notably tougher Hygro species out there (sp. 'Araguaia', for instance)

fishorama said:
I wouldn't be surprised if it was reclassified to another genus, it's that different. Beautiful, good luck!
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Nope, it's definitely a hygro! Hygrophila in general have very diverse foliage, even within a single species—compare, for instance, H. corymbosa 'Stricta' to H. corymbosa 'Angustifolia'—same species, very different-looking foliage. Add the likes of H. difformis, H. balsamica, etc., and it's not hard to fathom a pinnatifid leaf mixed in with the group. Within it's genus, it's foliage probably most resembles H. odora (which has much more delicate leaves, admittedly, but the shape isn't that far removed) And, if you expand your search to look at the very closely related genus Staurogyne, you'll see other examples of pinnatifid leaves—Staurogyne sp. 'Bihar', for instance.
 
If I had my 75 up and running, I would be asking if you had enough to share. Your knowledge is astounding.

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You can probably hit me up for some in the summer, if you like. I don't start shipping until around mid to late April, depending on the weather (last year's spring was so darn slow in coming that I waited until early May...), and I tend to grow bigger quantities in the summer, anyway (free light + heat = fast plant growth).

Fish_Bone said:
Your knowledge is astounding.
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All the local aquarium clubs call me "The Plant Lady" for a reason ;). Thanks for the compliment!
 
Will do! And you are welcome. Do you have an edge like say your a botanist? Or self taught?

Just curious.

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Nope, not a botanist (though I do love the sciences in general)! Actually my degree is in art & design with a dual concentration in illustration and graphic design... The planty knowledge is more or less all self-taught and/or absorbed from chatting with actual botanists on various forums. I'm just blessed with mad reading skillz and a very good memory.

...That said, I am also responsible for the Planted Tank column in TFH magazine. So I do occasionally get paid to know these things.
 
Wow who knew we had celebrities floating around here. And I would say that is one heck of a memory.

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It's a bit of a stretch to call me a celebrity. ^.^' Certainly there are others on here, like Rachel O'Leary, whose names are far better known in the hobby.

On another note, just for fun, here's a pic of my H. pinnatifida in bloom:
Hygrophilapinnatifida.jpg

As you can see, the leaves are a lot stubbier in emersed form. They're also somewhat fuzzy. I'd just sprited the leaves with a foliar fertilizer when this pic was taken, so you can see the little drops of water catching on the leaf hairs...
 
JAY973 said:
I just got mine and dumped it into the tank... now you have me looking at emptying one of my tanks for an emersed setup...LOL
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Go for it! Emersed setups are a lot of fun, and serve as a great place to store plants you don't have room for in submersed tanks. You can also populate them with fun critters like vampire crabs, newts, or frogs.
 
asukawashere said:
Go for it! Emersed setups are a lot of fun, and serve as a great place to store plants you don't have room for in submersed tanks. You can also populate them with fun critters like vampire crabs, newts, or frogs.
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Sound's like a plan I like the crab idea going to wait until I have a handle on my 180g and 45g to where I want them. I always like the idea of vivarium or paludarium don't know that I have the patience for it but I have few tanks I maybe be able to play with...LOL
 
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