Cryptocoryne affinis
Family: Araceae.
Synonyms: C. haerteliana Milk., C. affinis Hook. f. subsp. haerteliana (Milk.) Schopfel. Etymology: Cryptocoryne: (Greek) kryptos - hidden, koryne = spadix, refers to the spa-dix hidden in the kettle; affinis: related to, cognate with.
Distribution: Malay Peninsula. Description: Marsh plant, submersed up to 40 cm tall, emersed much smaller. Leaves up to 20 cm petiolate. Blades lanceolate to narrow lanceolate, up to 23 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, more or less bullate. Apex acute; base acute or round. Coloration upperside olive green, occasionally brownish, underside usually wine red.
Spathe 5.5-32 cm, tube 1.5-15 cm. Limb 3-20 cm long, erect, cuspidate, 4-15 times spirally coiled, interior smooth, dark purple-red. A collar is absent. Female flowers usually 5-7. Male flowers about 50. Chromosome number 2n = 34. Culture: This undemanding Cryptocoryne has been cultivated in aquariums for over 50 years. Unfortunately, C. affinis is not that well suited for emersed culture or quick propagation in nurseries, so that it is increasingly being displaced by C. undulata, C. walkeri and C. wendtii, species that are easier to cultivate. A moderate to medium light intensity is adequate. Optimum growth is achieved in medium-hard to hard, slightly alkaline water at a temperature of 22-26 °C. Washed sand is sufficient as a substrate. Propagation is very productive if growth is not interfered with. Several forms are being cultivated, they differ in growth height, leaf width and coloration. The species is very sensitive to Cryptocoryne rot. Inflorescences with long spathes are occasionally also formed under water. Ecology: Jacobsen and Bogner discovered C. affinis in dense communities on sand banks of smaller waterways featuring a strong current. The splendid specimens grew submersed. The smaller emersed plants were colored red-brown in the shade, and bullate and green when exposed to the sun. The habitats are partially located in limestone regions. Refer also to the substrate analysis (Horst 1986).
- Submersed leaves of Cryptocoryne affinis. Emersed plant with inflorescence.
Emersed plants of Cryptocoryne alba with inflorescence.
Emersed plants of Cryptocoryne alba with inflorescence.
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