C. keei?

This was the 1st location where we found cryptocorynes during our field trip to west Kalimantan. We were expecting to find C. keei or C. cordata var. grabowskii first based on the cryptocoryne distribution map we prepared. Childern were swimming in this river and women were washing clothes right beside this patch of cryptocorynes we found. The river base was sandy and the pH of the water was about 6.5.

The leaves ranged from green to reddish brown in colour.

We found only one opened spathe and this was how the spathe looked. Due to the lack in yellowish colour around the collar, I could not be 100% sure that this was C. keei. We left the identification aside till we got back home so that we could compare it with photographs found on the web sites. My explorer friend thought that it could be compared to C. hudoroi, what do you think?

C. keei?

This was the 2nd location where we found cryptocorynes during our field trip to west Kalimantan. The stream has a sandy base with stones and the pH is about 6.5.

We found a spathe which I felt looked like that of C. keei. However, when we spliced open the kettle, again no female flower was present at all?!?!? My explorer friend referred to it as C. sp. 'West Kalimantan 2' in his blog. I will leave it to you to decide for yourselves what species this is.

C. keei?

During our field trip to west Kalimantan, we found another stream near where we found C. keei lined with carpets of cryptocorynes. Unfortunately, no spathes could be found to verify the species of the cryptocorynes we found. My explorer friend termed it as C. sp. 'West Kalimantan 4' in his blog, '4' refers to the 4th natural habitat we found during the field trip. Is this also C. keei? I will leave it to you to judge for yourselves what species this is.

I was lucky too to catch this couple hot in action, copulating on a bed of cryptocorynes.

New cryptocorynes collected from Lingga Island

My explorer friend just returned from Lingga Island of Riau Province in Indonesia this weekend and he found many new cryptocorynes habitats this time round. Some of the cryptocorynes collected looked very different from the ones which we collected during our previous trips. Do visit his blog to view these new findings!!!

Some basic guidelines on cryptocoryne cultivation

My friend asked me to pen down some basic guidelines on cryptocoryne cultivation to help further promote the culture locally in Singapore and aid interested hobbyists to kick start their collection. After one night of effort, I managed to put together something:

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If you have any comments on the article (i.e. wrong sentance structure, grammer and spelling mistakes, incorrect information, etc), do let me know so that I can amend the article to make it more "readable". Thanks!!!

C. sp. 'Natuna Island'

My explorer friend went for a short trip to Natuna Island last week and found 6 locations with cryptocorynes within the 1 day time he had to travel around the island. Below are the photographs of the cryptocorynes from these locations. As usual, I will leave it to the experts to determine whether the these cryptocorynes are some already known species, and whether the various locations' specimens are of similar species.

C. sp. 'Natuna 1':

C. sp. 'Natuna 2':

C. sp. 'Natuna 3':

C. sp. 'Natuna 4':

C. sp. 'Natuna 5':

C. sp. 'Natuna 6':

Do visit my friend's blog to view the photographs of their natural habitats and the spathe he found from one of the locality!