# Riparium plant ID



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

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.


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## RipariumGuy (Aug 6, 2009)

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


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

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?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

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.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

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=en&q=cyclanthus%20&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

...and how tall is it?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Right now the stems are about 10 inches tall. I'm leaning towards it being a Rhapis variety, http://images.google.com/imgres?img...org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N&start=20&um=1

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.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

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?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

From:http://images.google.com/imgres?img...org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N&start=20&um=1

"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.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

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.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

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.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

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.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

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.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

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.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

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.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

You mean my journal over on TFH? http://forums.tfhmagazine.com/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=26299

I was thinking that I saw a plant a lot like this in Bolivia... but I'm not sure I have any pics... but if that's what you thought of, maybe I do...?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Hey thanks!


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## Crazygar (Nov 16, 2006)

Laura, they could be _Arenga engleri_ or _Rhapis_, Lady Palm that we saw all around in Bolivia...

Gary


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

I just went through all your pics, my pics, and Barry's Bolivia pics, Gary, but I don't think we got any of this plant- and I'd swear they were growing along the paths around the El Prado cabin.

Plus I think they're in the plant nursery at Home Depot, too... I'm gonna have to find them now. :biggrin:


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Bambusa ventricosa 'Kimmei'
Common Name: Kimmei Buddha Belly

Maximum Height: 55 feet, 30-40 feet average
Container Height: 10 to 15 ft?
Diameter: 1.5 - 2 inches 

My little 10 gallon tank might be a bit small for this, but the 65 gallon tank?:icon_lol:

Seriously, would it really be possible to dwarf such a monster by any technique at all? The "buddha belly" stem is so interesting it would be worth it.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Look what I got with "Buddha belly bamboo bonsai" (say that ten times fast!)...

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/814/25106954.JPG

Several of the first pages that I found for that plant were in reference to using it as bonsai--it seems that it responds well to bonsai training, and supposedly it can grow in the water too.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Wow! Are we ready for a new type of planted tank - the bonsai tank? A bonsai riparium? Does this mean I now need to spend a few hours a day learning to do bonsai? Oh well....why not?


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## davemonkey (Sep 21, 2008)

Hoppy said:


> Wow! Are we ready for a new type of planted tank - the bonsai tank? A bonsai riparium? Does this mean I now need to spend a few hours a day learning to do bonsai? Oh well....why not?


That sounds like a great idea, Hoppy! Bonsai is not as hard as it looks, just takes a lot of time. I've seen some tanks at the zoo with bonsai-esque _Ficus benjamina_ that looked really neat.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

The two little planters of the palms are both doing great, with considerable new growth. This one is a riparium winner! Three weeks of good results should mean it will continue to do well.

I must look into Buddha Belly Bamboo some more, and hope I find it somewhere near here.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

My little palms finally got much too big for my riparium. The photos are of fronds after I removed the last one from its planter. I'm still not sure what to call this, but it clearly is a palm. It had grown to about 2 feet high, without a single bad habit or problem. A great riparium plant, good for several months before it gets too big, and my local nursery plus Home Depot seem to have these regularly. 

What is its name????

Could it be the Kentia Palm, Howea Forsteriana? That looks right, except the description says it can't tolerate constantly wet roots. Mine had no problems with that at all. The roots grew out of the planter into the tank substrate, eventually. No dying leafs, no yellowing, no problems of any kind.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

I'd love to know if you can figure that one out.

It would be great to use that plant as most of the background and then have other stuff with contrasting leaf shapes and colors in front of it.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

I'm pretty sure this is it: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/37215/ Areca Palm, which is a group of species, not just one. The photo here looks exactly like mine, and the description is very close to how I would describe it. It isn't Kentia Palm, because that one has leafs that are darker on top than on the bottom. Mine are the same on both sides. Areca Palm also grows "fruit", which is a nut, and mine was obviously started from small nuts. So, I'm ready to name this Dypsis lutescens, Areca Palm.


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