New liverwort?

[Robert]

Hi,
last Friday I got a new plant. In German this rare plant is called "Süßwassertang" which is a useless name. It means "freshwater seaweed" in English. Nobody seems to know a latin name for. It looks like this:

http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/normal_new_liverwort01.jpg

I guess it is a liverwort because of the structure of the (probably) thalli:

http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/normal_new_liverwort02.jpg

The thalli are bit bigger than Monoselenium tenerum and should grow slower than them. It should come from Taiwan but don't know if it is true. That is all I know about this plant. This picture shows a comparison of the unknown liverwort with Monoselenium tenerum:

http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/normal_new_liverwort03.jpg

Did anyone saw this plant before? And could anyone help me to identify this plant?

best regards

Robert

[Pconnieae]

Nice plant but I have no idea what it is :) .

[Rand]

Robert, how did you use or place this awesome looking plant in your tank? Let me guess, in the foreground of your tank so everyone could see and drool on it? :D

If that is a new liverwort for aquariums, then I presume that there are a lot more undiscovered liverworts out there suitable for planted tanks.

[vinyx]

Saw this in local shop specialised in water plants .. I was told they were from China .. I will get more details and update ..


Hi,
last Friday I got a new plant. In German this rare plant is called "Süßwassertang" which is a useless name. It means "freshwater seaweed" in English. Nobody seems to know a latin name for. It looks like this:

http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/normal_new_liverwort01.jpg

I guess it is a liverwort because of the structure of the (probably) thalli:

http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/normal_new_liverwort02.jpg

The thalli are bit bigger than Monoselenium tenerum and should grow slower than them. It should come from Taiwan but don't know if it is true. That is all I know about this plant. This picture shows a comparison of the unknown liverwort with Monoselenium tenerum:

http://www.shrimpnow.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10003/normal_new_liverwort03.jpg

Did anyone saw this plant before? And could anyone help me to identify this plant?

best regards

Robert

[baruch mor]

imo the unknown liverwort is m. tenerum and the "monoselenium tenerum" in the pic is riccia fluitans but i must c n touch it to b sure

[dennis]

The liverwort on the right is definately M. tenerum, not riccia. The one on the right definately looks like a varient of M tenerum, unless it is mearly emersed growth, although I do not think so. How is it behaving in your aquarium?

[Robert]

hi,
the plant grows but slowly, about 1-2mm until now. I'm not that sure anymore if it is really a liverwort (because of the morphology). I don't know what it is but I like it.

regards

Robert

[fabry]

It seems to me that its growing pattern resambles Riccia Cavernosa.
Could it be its aquatic form!???

Regards.
Fabrizio.

[Robert]

Hi Fabrizio,
welcome at ShrimpNow! Your idea is good and I tried to look for more information about this Riccia species. There are some similarities on the first gaze but I don't think that they are the same. The tissue structure is different. BTW, Prof. Benito Tan also took a look on this plant and he wasn't even sure if this is a liverwort at all. It could also be an algae.
I found no scientific name of this plant yet. The orgin is also unknown and without it the determination is almost impossible.

regards
Robert

[fabry]

Hi Robert.
Did you manage to take pictures of the plant/algae under a microscope?
Did you try to grow it emersed?

Best regards.
Fabrizio.

[Robert]

Hi Farbizio,
no, at the moment I can't take picture under a microscope. I do not even have the chance to use one of the microscopes in my University at the moment. Prof. Tan did it but he published no results yet.

No, I don't keep it emerged yet. I have an emerse set up but it's not really suitable for this plant because of my gravel-clay mix. I would rather use stone or wood as a substrat. Do you want to try it?

regards
Robert

[rain-]

It really is a fascinating plant, the structure is solid and algae like (no veins, for example), but the growth looks liverwort-like. I really love it :)

I was thinking about tying some of it to a root just near the surface and leave just a small part of it above water line at first and mist it often and see if it starts growing like that, maybe some moss under it would keep it more moist.

[fabry]

Hi Robert.

When I want to tranfer a plant like that (for example a riccia or monosolenium) to an emersed setup I usually do the following:
I take a small dedicated tank, cover the bottom with gravel and put a wood over the gravel.
Then the plant over the wood.
Then add water just until reaching the top of the wood with the plant.
Then close with a lid (tranparent of course).
Keep under moderate ligh (like a neon light).
During two or three weeks decrease the water level until it reaches just the surface of the gravel in the bottom.
At that point the wood and the plant remain wet because the water goes up through the wood for capillarity and the air is very humid because the closed environment.
The wood is the best substrate also for the liverworts to establish their roots.

P.s. do you have some to share/sell?

Good luck.
Regards.

Fabrizio.

[NanoDave]

I think I found the name for it!

I came across it on this site http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/~Holiday/aqua-plants-gallery.htm

If it is the same plant, the name is Pellia endiviifolia ! :)

[fabry]

Hi.
Nice link.
But I don't think it is a Pellia.
Pellia has a very different growing pattern.
Here is a photo of Pellia. Its grow resembles a mix between Monosolenium and Riccardia.

http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/4848/pellia7ft.jpg

Regards.
Fabrizio.

[dom]

Hi,

I had something like that too from wild. Found they are very slow grow. And they grow well only in low temperature like 24C.

[zip]

Hi Fabrizio,
welcome at ShrimpNow! Your idea is good and I tried to look for more information about this Riccia species. There are some similarities on the first gaze but I don't think that they are the same. The tissue structure is different. BTW, Prof. Benito Tan also took a look on this plant and he wasn't even sure if this is a liverwort at all. It could also be an algae.
I found no scientific name of this plant yet. The orgin is also unknown and without it the determination is almost impossible.

regards
Robert

Dear Robert,

It's true that the plant that you shown look like some kind of water plant sold commonly here in Taiwan.
Hereby attached one that is selling in most of our aquariums and it could be found in sort of high mountains ranges with lower temperture wet area.
http://joedi.myweb.hinet.net/ans1.bmp

P.nessiana is the kind I guess...!because we do all classified them all as BIG liverwort>translated from Chinese language.
Just for your information, this plant is usually ignored by hydrophyte researchers(not belonging to ,Botany, a bundle; a vascular bundle) ,on the other hand, for those liverworts researchers, they don't even think of a kind of liverworts-like plant would be able to transplant to underwater grow in the tank.
Conculsion:Not much information or details could be found here ib Taiwan because of the above mentioned issues.

Regards,
Zip