Riparium plant ID

[Hoppy]

Does anyone know the name of this plant? I got it from a nursery here, and they called it an Arecaceae. But, I don't believe that. It looks much more like something in the Spathiphyllum family to me, except that the leaf veins don't run the right way for that. Of course I'm asking because I wonder how it will do in a riparium.

All of the leaves are in pairs only, with only two leaves per stem, so far, but it is a very young plant too.

[JakeJ]

Know Idea what its called, (sorry!) but It looks really cool!

[hydrophyte]

That's a handsome plant. I like the way it holds its leaves. It sort of looks like a Bletilla orchid. Can you see any kind of tuber below the surface of the potting media?

It also looks sort of like something in Family Cyclanthaceae. Are the leaves paired? If they are paired leaves on each petiole then it's probably a Cyclanthaceae.

Another idea is an Aspidistra cast iron plant. I like Aspidistra a lot. If it is an Aspidistra then I doubt that it will make it as a riparium plant. They need dryish, well-drained soil.

It could also be seedlings of some kind of Arecaceae (the palm family).

I don't think it's a Spathiphyllum.

Can you get a close-up of the crown?

[Hoppy]

This plant consists of numerous stems, each with paired leaves on it, each leaf with 3 longitudinal veins, but no lateral ones I can see. The oldest stem is starting another stem from near the bottom, like grassy plants tend to do, but the original pair of leaves have no crown, and no evidence of further growth from between the leaves. No tuber is visible, but I haven't removed it from the pot yet. In the original photo above, you can see the front pair of leaves, which overlap and the planes of the leaves are parallel, not opposed.

[hydrophyte]

I think it's probably a Cyclanthaceae. It might be able to grow in a riparium. I remember seeing some in Costa Rica growing right along the edges of streams. I would try it with the bottom 1/2 of the planter cup filled with Hydroton so that there is free water diffusion around the roots.

Check out these pictures of Cyclanthus...

http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...-8&sa=N&tab=wi

[hydrophyte]

...and how tall is it?

[Hoppy]

Right now the stems are about 10 inches tall. I'm leaning towards it being a Rhapis variety, http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D20%26um%3D1

The leaves of this plant are almost exactly like what mine have, and the growth seems as described. If this is one of the Japanese miniature varieties it should do well in a riparium - I think. Asiatic nursery has a lot of varieties of this available.

[hydrophyte]

Oh that actually sounds like the best guess. I think that Rhapis might be true palms(?). Have you seen any references to growing them in wet conditions?

[Hoppy]

From:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3D20%26um%3D1

"At least two, if not three forms of R. subtilis exist. The tallest type has leaves with broad segments which slightly resemble R. excelsa.; a second form has tiny canes, small leaves with finely divided segments, and slowly grows 2' to 3' (1 m) tall as shown in the photograph above. A third type appears to be a combination of the others. Cross pollination of these different forms may cause the wide variation in seedlings and mature plants. Unlike the blunt tipped R. excelsa, all R. subtilis have pointed leaf tips.

"Being a tropical, R. subtilis requires high humidity and abundant moisture. While all Rhapis can attract scale insects, this is the only species severely affected by spider mites. It has a temperature range of 32 to 90 degrees F (0 to 32 degrees C), but prefers 60 to 80 degrees F. Thailand Lady Palm thrives in humid, tropical climates, but seldom adapts to hot dry regions or cool subtropical areas. It can be difficult as a houseplant."

Not exactly a description of a marginal plant, but at least it isn't a dry climate plant either. And, the plant I have does have pointed leaf tips, almost sharp points.

[Hoppy]

I washed all the soil off the plants just now, and have them soaking to kill any pests. It looks like very tiny coconuts sprouting! This almost convinces me for sure that these are Rhapis Palm varieties. I plan to use the new planter cups I just got from Riparium Supply, to plant a couple of bunches. I really like the appearance of this plant for a riparium.

[hydrophyte]

That plant does have a perfect shape for growing in a riparium. Plants with a gentle arch like that are my favorite choices. Sapthiphyllum and Acorus are too especially good groups that have a similar form.

I'll be real interested to hear how this one does in riparium culture.

That was what had me thinking Cyclanthus--that those plantlets have just two pairs of leaves. As they grow up they will develop a trunk and many new ranks of leaves.

[Hoppy]

I now have that plant in my 65 gallon and my 10 gallon ripariums, so I should have an idea how well they do in a month or so. They still look very healthy a day after I put them in, and not all plants can say that.

[hydrophyte]

Check this out...

Buddha belly bamboo in water

I found a few different references to training that plant bonsai style to control size. It looks like the leaves aren't terribly large so it might scale alright with a riparium setup. That could be another one to watch out for at garden centers there in California.

[lauraleellbp]

I don't think you guys have ID'd it just yet... I'm pretty sure this is a common plant in nurseries around here, but I don't know the name... I'm gonna look and see if I can find it, though.

[hydrophyte]

Hey lauraleellbp can you please post the link to the pictures from your trip? I had found them once but I had to follow a circuitous route to get there and then I couldn't find them again.