Cryptocoryne beckettii
Encyclopedia
Distribution
Sri Lanka, found in freshwater springs and rivers.(It is not clear which plants sold in the aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
trade under this name are the true species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
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Probably due to aquarists C. beckettii is now found in Florida and probably other suitable spots in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
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Description
Cryptocoryne beckettii is a perennial, rhizomatous, herb that can grow as an emergent or as a submerged aquatic. It has basal leaves with elongate, sheathing petioles up to 15 cm (approximately 6 inches) long. The blades are glabrous, ovate to narrowly ovate, 3 to 9 cm (1.2-3.5 in) long and 1 to 3.5 cm (0.4-1.4 in) wide. The blade's upper surface is green to dark green or brown and marbled to red-brown, and the lower surface is generally red-tinged, to more or less brownish or green. The leaves have an acute to acuminate apex, entire or sometimes undulate leaf margins, and conspicuously red veins. Submerged plants usually have larger, thinner leaves. The rarely-seen inflorescences are short-peduncled with a 4 to 12 cm (1.6-4.7 in) long spathe. The greenish-brown limb is twisted, upright to somewhat recurved, and narrowly ovate in shape, generally 0.5 to 1.2 cm (0.2-0.5 in) wide and 1.5-3 cm (0.6-1.2 in) long. The spadix is typically 1.0 cm (0.4 in) long (Rosen, 2000).- Rosen, D.J. 2000. Cryptocoryne beckettii (Araceae), a new aquatic plant in Texas. Sida 19(2): 399-401.
Cultivation
Good substrate and benefits from additional CO2. One of the best Crypts for the aquariumAquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
. Slow growing and may take several weeks to settle in.
Probably the oldest cultivated Crypt. It grows very easily in even hard water. The substrate should be a mixture of sand, clay and peat.
It prefers a quiet situation and not too intense a light. It normally spreads and multiplys by vegetative (stolon/rhizome) growth. It can suffer from Crypt melt and seems to dislike being moved about.
Forms
petchii is a smaller form with slightly fluted leavesLeaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
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