21 October 2011
The meeting of the European Cryptocoryne Society in Tuebingen, Germany is over.
See for an impression by Fredi Waser:
http://www.aquaristikszene.ch/Zuechter_Pflanzen/Kettner/kettner.html

Next year will be in Belgium / the Netherlands, probably around mid September 2012.

4 January 2011
A new species Cryptocoryne loeiensis is described in the Thai Forest Bulletin. Collected by Takashige Idei in the Mekong river near Chiang Khan in the Loei province, N Thailand. It differs from C. crispatula in having a short, half twisted, rough limb of the spathe, but the leaves are almost like this species. The Mekong Cryptocoryne have a seasonal character with terete leaves during high water (up to 10 m !) when they are dormant. In the dry season they are exposed to full sun in an unsheltered position. See also C. mekongensis and C. crispatula var. decus-mekongensis. They are not suited for the aquarium.
photo Bastmeijer

30 December 2010
Again Cryptocoryne dewitii, found by Takashige Idei in Papua New Guinea. The article in Aqua Planta 35(1) is now available in the Document service, with an English translation. The plant proved to be easy to cultivate in a slight acid substrate as shown in the picture left, where it is grown semi-emersed in a Fagus leaf mould.

photo Bastmeijer
click to enlarge

18 December 2010
The surprise of the year in Cryptocoryne! In January 2010 Hang He Wei and Zhou Hang from China found a new Cryptocoryne in the southern Guangxi province, now described as C. crispatula var. planifolia. It has a bright white 'crispatula' spathe, the smooth leaves are very broad with a red lower side.

photo Zhou Hang

18 December 2010
From 2006 till 2010 Takashige Idei from Japan investigated the Mekong river Cryptocoryne from Thailand to Cambodia. Two new Cryptocoryne are presented, the first one: C. crispatula var. decus-mekongensis. As the name says, it is the 'beauty of the Mekong'.

photo Bastmeijer

18 December 2010
The other plant found by Takashige Idei is C. mekongensis. This plant differs from C. crispatula (in a broad sense) in having a rough surface of the limb, which also has transverse ridges. Moreover there is a prominent collar.

photo Idei