Two new plants

Planted Tank

Two new plants for the American hobbyist

by Robert Paul Hudson

“ I saw photos on the internet of this very low growing, pillow, carpet plant. Do you know what it is? I have never seen such a plant at my favorite aquarium store, and when I asked them about it I was told there was no such plant! Is it a hard plant to grow, and where can I get it?”
Joseph Marino
New York, NY

Because the internet is worldwide and reflects trends in other countries, what you see on the net may be years ahead of what is happening in the hobby here in America. New plant species have been slow to be introduced to the American market, and the American retailer is often slow to pick up on it as well. There is some light in the tunnel.

Florida Aquatic Nurseries is the largest producer of aquarium and pond plants in the U.S.A., and has recently added two new plants to their offering that are wonderful additions for the hobbyist and now available from FAN distributors/dealers.

Anyone who has drooled over photographs in books and magazines, or the internet, understands how important the foreground is in an aquascape. Hemianthus callitrichoides and Lilaeopsis mauritius each have attractive features that give new options for the aspiring aquascaper.

What’s HC?

Hemianthus callitrichoides, known as “dwarf baby tears” or simply “HC” has such a distinctive look, it is truly unmistakable. It is the smallest known aquatic stem plant that hugs the substrate and contours with it: blanketing the substrate but still showing every crack, crevice and hill. The tiny round leaves grow so dense that it resembles a short pile carpet more than a cluster of stems and leaves. This plant has become immensely popular among hobbyists on the internet, and created an underground market and demand until it was legally imported here. Now the plant is available on a mass scale to the American hobbyist.

HC was originally discovered in Cuba growing among rocks in a river that is shallow in the dry season and a meter deep in the rainy season. It has never been found anywhere else in the world.

The plant is not particularly light demanding, but the brighter the light the more compact the growth is. It is relatively new to the hobby. It has been available in Europe and Asia for a few years and was first seen by American hobbyists on the internet in 2004 when Oliver Knott of Germany showed the world his aquascape by winning the Aqua Botanic Aquascaping contest and the Aquatic Gardeners Association Aquascaping Showcase. Even now very little has been written or documented about this plant. Now that it is readily available from Florida, many people will have the opportunity to experiment with it.

HC grows best in open areas where it is not overshadowed by other plants. It also needs to be thinned out occasionally to prevent layers growing on top of each other. If this is allowed to happen, eventually the lower levels will die off. A common ailment is iron deficiency, which is recognized by yellow leaves.
Narrow leaf Micro sword

Lilaeopsis mauritius, (narrow leaf Micro Sword) is a short grass like plant that grows into a thick sod, grassy lawn. Other more common species, such as Lilaeopsis brasiliensis, (known as Micro Sword), have been used in the hobby for decades. What makes Lilaeopsis mauritius unique are two important characteristics. First, the leaf is more narrow, almost hair like, and second the plant grows much faster and easier than the other related species without a dependence on intensive light.

It was discovered in the island country of Mauritius, which is off of southern Africa in the Indian Ocean, back in 1992. This country has a fascinating history about how its culture has evolved from African, Muslim, French, and Dutch societies.

Lilaeopsis has always been attractive to hobbyists because of all the grass like plants, it grows the thickest and tightest lawn without long runners or big gaps between plants, but it has always frustrated hobbyists by growing painstakingly slow even under very bright light. This new variety has all the “pros” without the “cons”, making it much easier to achieve the desired “lawn”.
Family
Apiaceae
Region
Africa
Country of origin
Mauritius
Height
5-10 cm
Light requirements
medium-very high
Temperature
15-28 °C
Hardness tolerance
very soft-very hard
pH tolerance
5,5-8


To seed your lawn, take the contents of each pot and divide it into five or six small bunches, (after removing the rock wool from the roots), and plant each in the substrate deep enough to only secure the plant, about an inch or two apart. Within a couple months all the gaps should be filled in.

High tech yields better results

I wouldn’t recommend either of thee plants in a typical low- tech plant tank, although I am sure many people will experiment. Both plants may grow under more subdued light, but growth is much more compact and vibrant with higher levels of light and C02.

Create the demand

The success of these two plants in the U.S. market will depend greatly on hobbyists, because frankly most retailers are unaware of current trends in the plant hobby. To see these plants in your local store you may have to request them to be ordered for you. Things are changing though. Some stores are beginning to see the profit potential in catering to the freshwater- planted tank hobbyist by providing a selection of products, and even educating their staff on this hobby niche. Some retailers, particularly those who are part of the computer generation, are embracing the internet as a tool to keep current on market trends and what hobbyists want and need. In future columns I will introduce you to some of these innovative retailers.
For more information about these plants and to see more aquascapes featuring these plants, visit the library and gallery sections of www.aquabotanic.com

Please send comments, photos, (300 dpi), and questions to Robert@aquabotanic.com
Appeared in October 07 FAMA magazine