Images
by N. Muthu Karthick (Id by Jan D. Bastmeijer), Giby Kuriakose, Raju Das (Id by Manudev K Madhavan) & P. Santhan (Inserted by J.M.Garg) (For more photos & complete details, click
on the links)

 

 
This plant is active only in the summer, I guess. Because the whole plant would be submerged for about 5-6 months during monsoon as this species grow in the river bed. As the water level in the river/stream get reduced during winter, the plant become active from the surviving rhizomes and new plants would germinate and establish from dormant seeds. Then, during summer it starts flowering.  
 
    

Cryptocoryne retrospiralis:

Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (Roxb.) Fisch. ex Wydler (Araceae)
Please validate the ID


Please compare your plant with this:  efi thread
Also, please furnish details about hte location of collection and season of flowering. I am much interested to find out this species.


had never seen such plant.
In one photo I can see lot of spiral outgrowths coming from water. in other the spiral outgrowth has leaves at thr base. In third and next some tips are shown.
WHAT ARE THEY?


I have collected this species during my field survey at Assam.

The habitat was semi evergreen, and the
collection site is a perennial river bank with sand and pebbles.
Very interesting to note that, I have seen this sp only from a single location and some mammals are seen to feed on this. I have photographed the phenophases of this species.
The flowering was seen (Pic 1&2) during March-April and fruit (pic 5&6) during September-October.


In the photo where those shoot like things are comming out I first thought that they are pnumatophores of mangroves.
I doubt that in nature I would have dreamt it to be a plant.


This could be Cryptocoryne retrospiralis


Do we have any species of Cryptocoryne in the Western Ghats.


I am no expert on Crytocoryne but if you look at the website of Cryptocoryne expert … it looks like it: http://crypts.home.xs4all.nl/Cryptocoryne/Countries/India.html

You can also see there are several species from the Western Ghats. For confirmation you perhaps can contact Jan privately? His e-mail adress is mentioned on the website.


We do have few species here in Western Ghats.

Anyway am not sure about the total number of species present in South India.
Provided time, I can dig out more details..

These are the few species am familiar with..
  • C. spiralis
  • C. spiralis subsp. cognatoides
  • C. retrospiralis
  • C. cognata
  • C. sivadasanii
Here I am attaching images of two species, collected from Maharshtra, last week on a trip to Kolhapur District..
Cryptocorine spiralis subsp. cognatoides.JPG
Cryptocorine spiralis.JPG

I now remember from the leaves that I have seen them in the streams in the evergreen patches and I think may be in Kulathupuzha as well.
But I never know that this plant has such a beautiful inflorescence (the one that we see is an inflorescence, Am I correct?)
I will mark some plant near Pooyamkuty and Bhuthathankettu and may seek your help to get it id.


I think there are two more species from Kerala. But I couldn’t remember the names.. Will let you know soon


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Cryptocoryne id request_16-02
-12_GK_01
: A species of Cryptocoryne of Araceae family. Inflorescence pictures GIB 3871, 3892, 3897 & 4019) are from different individuals of same area.
Place: Pooyamkutty, Central Kerala
Date: 1901-2012
Altitude : Around 150m
Habitat: Riparian:
Plant height: about 10cm with inflorescence, leaves are on the ground
Thanks to … for spotting this tiny beauty while exploring the endemic flora of Pooyamkutty reserve forest .


Wao, this looks like a “Cork Opener” … Interesting Upload …


Thank you … for nice words. I like the term “Cork opener”. It is very apt for the structure of the spathe.

I think it is C. retrospiralis.


These pictures would complete the upload on Cryptocoryne sp.


Since you mention riparian zone…. is this part of what naturally comes up ?
or do people who manage restorations of such zones introduce these and other trees and plants ?


This plant is active only in the summer, I guess. Because the whole plant would be submerged for about 5-6 months during monsoon as this species grow in the river bed.  

As the water level in the river/stream get reduced during winter, the plant become active from the surviving rhizomes and new plants would germinate and establish from dormant seeds. Then, during summer it starts flowering.
As you could see in the first picture of the first upload we can see only the leaves and inflorescence above ground and roots and rhizomes are underground, mostly firmly attached to the ground. Even with the inflorescence, we can see only the spathe as you see in _GIB4889 and when we split open that spathe you can see the inflorescence within, where the male flowers arranged at the top and female flowers below that.


Very interesting plant. Nicely presented!


…, thanks for explaining, it then is a natural riparian plant, I surmise


Yes it is a natural riparian plant species.


 

Araceae, Arecaceae and Zingiberaceae Fortnight: SN Aug 08 : 3 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (1).
Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (Roxb.) Kunth,

wild herb grows in the muds of river bank from Gudalur arera of Nilgiri Tamilnadu


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Cryptocoryne for identification 140211MK1:  Please help to id this Araceae member found in river bank.
Date/Time- 09-02-2011 / 11:00 AM
Location- Place, Altitude, GPa river in Satyamangalam RF; TN. c 350 msl
Habitat- Garden/ Urban/ Wild/ Type- riverine aquatic
Plant Habit-Herb
Height/Length- c. 40 cm
Leaves Type/ Shape/ Size- c. 35 X 3 cm
Fruits Type/ Shape/ Size Seeds- 2 – 3cm across; seeds copious


Its hard to tell the sp. from pics, its no doubt Cryptocoryne. Pls enumerate the species from TN flora so that they can be counter


The collection site is a river bank that have been always brimmed with water of the perennial river in Nilgiris district at a low altitude.
So far the following plants in this Genus are reported from Tamil Nadu. 
Species Distribution in TN
Cryptocoryne ciliata (Roxb.) Schott Western Ghats, Evergreen Forests
Cryptocoryne consobrina Schott Western Ghats, Evergreen Forests
Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (Roxb.) Kunth. Plains to Low Altitude, Marsh Localities
Cryptocoryne spiralis (Retz.) Fischer Plains to Mid Altitude, Marsh Localities
Source: Checklist of Angiosperms in Tamil Nadu http://tnenvis.nic.in/database_bio_flo.htm


I am posting flowers of the same plant found in the locality. Please help me to confirm the species of Cryptocoryne.
Location: Moyar River, Sathyamangalam wls, TN
Alt.: 300 m asl
Date: 22 Nov 2014
Attachments (4)
It may be Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (Roxb.) Kunth


Well, I think the best fit is Cryptocoryne retrospiralis. The pictures, especially the limb of the spathe, are not as sharp as I like to see. I attach some pictures to compare.

It is clearly not C. spiralis and its var’s (we recognize 4 types today), sivadasanii, ciliata, or cognata. So the only choice is between consobrina and retrospiralis.
C. consobrina has a rough, purple spotted limb with a warty margin. And it has a clear collar. The limb less twisted but the leaf size fits well.
C. retrospiralis has a smooth limb with distinct reddish dots on it and no collar.  
Remark. In cultivation, C. retrospiralis goes dormant in the high water season, only thriving some terete leaves. In the picture you see a four year old plant with clear nodes on the rhizome. Maybe C. consobrina also does (no experience). C. sivadasanii goes dormant in nature but not in continues emergent cultivation. The other ones never go dormant as far as I know. 

  
 
 
References:

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