Unknown plant: Help ID?

[monkeyboy]

I purchased a plant (thinking it was red ludwigia) from PetCo. The workers there didn't know the identities of any of the plants, and its rare to find such plants where I live...anyway, it was an impulse buy and now I have a nice looking plant and I don't know what it is. I do know that it is definitely not red ludwigia--its leaves are much more sparse and are much longer. As its leaves are pinkish, I am assuming it needs high lighting... Still, I'd like to know what I have.

I don't have a picture ready (my digital camera seems to have misplaced itself), but I can describe the plant:

Stem plant: The stem is thin and deep red (almost purple) in color. The largest leaves are about 3 inches long (thin, long ovals) and greenish-pink (old growth is much more red in color). Leaves grow in pairs (growing on opposite sides of the stem). Adjacent pairs of leaves are perpendicularly aligned. Each pair of leaves is at least an inch to three inches apart.

I went to tropica.com and thought it might be alternanthera reineckii or hygrophila polysperma 'rosanervig'...but I'm unsure. I'll try to get a picture up if I can find my camera.

Any other ideas?

- mb

 

[Avalon]

Possibly a Rotalla species of sorts, maybe macranda or the narrow leaf macranda version? Or maybe a Ludwigia grandulosa?

Sounds like a nice plant whatever it is!

 

[monkeyboy]

It looks more like roundifolia than macranda, though I can't seem to find a picture of the narrow leaf version of macranda. The leaf growth patterns are not right for L. grandulosa.

I think it is a rotala of some sort, now that you've got me looking into them...the growth patterns are similar. It might be the macranda narrow leaf, but the mystery plant has fairly flat (not ruffled) leaves.

 

[Avalon]

Yea, the macranda narrow leaf version is not in the Tropica guide. The narrow version has a systematic leaf formation--long but thin leafs--it really doesn't look like the true macranda at all! It's kind of like Eusteralis Stellata, but much more orderly, like Didiplis diandra. Hmmm...too bad you can't find that camera!

 

[monkeyboy]

I hate to revive this old topic, but this picture looks a lot like what I have:

If it helps any, the owner of this tank states that the following plants are in the tank (edited):

rotala macrandra, "sunset" hygro, rotala indica, Micranthemum (Hemianthus) micranthemoides, ludwigia granulosa, mayaca fluviatilis, aponogeton crispus, hygrophila corymbosa, a few crypts, bolbitis, bacopa monnieri, ludwigia arcuata, bacopa caroliniana, ludwigia repens x, hygrophila stricta, hygrophila polysperma, Alternathera reineckii.

 

[fishysmell]

That looks almost exactly like hygro so my guess is its red hygro. I have hygro. polysperma and it looks identical except for the color and maybe the slightly more acute pointedness of the leaf but its so close I doubt its any other thing.

I guess it could be alterantha but I'm gonna say red hygro.

 

[Avalon]

That pic is of Ludwigia grandulosa 'perinnis.'

 

[monkeyboy]

Damn...not it. I searched the web for some more detailed pictures and the growth patern isn't right.

Thanks again, Avalon. On with the search...(for a digital camera).

- mb

 

[monkeyboy]

You know, the growth patterns and leaves are an awful lot like hygrophilia polysperma... though I can't find a decent picture of the red variety to compare the shading.

 

[fishysmell]

Are you sure thats ludwigia avalon? I've never seen ludwigia like that. If it is, I guess I'll be coming to you for plant questions cause damn, I wouldn't of thought that was ludwigia.