the crypts pages

Cryptocoryne pallidinervia Engler

Though this plant is not very rare in nature, it is seldom imported from Borneo. It grows in the peat swamp forests of Sarawak and West Kalimantan under extremely acid conditions (pH 4 or so). Recent imports are from Anderson (1957), Driessen (1975) and Kettner (1988).

Click on the picture to get the full image (ca 50 k)

pal320m.jpg (7348 bytes)
Even in a simple mixture of sand and peat litter (with an artificial fertilizer) it is very easy to grow Cryptocoryne pallidinervia. But you don't see any pallid nerves, as you might expect.
photo Bastmeijer		 Sometimes the spathe-leave is not closed to form a tube. This rather uncommon but is seen in more species. The red dots reach far into the tube.
photo Bastmeijer
 In my cultures, the limb of the spathe, when opening, immediately folds up backwards. The limb is rather warty, the throat is densely spotted with fine red dots.
photo Bastmeijer		 The kettle of C. pallidinervia is dark purple inside. The naked part of the spadix is very short, the male and the female flowers reaching each other.
photo Bastmeijer
pal-dram.jpg (7841 bytes) venema-dram.jpg (9499 bytes) pallocm.jpg (9277 bytes)
A habitat of C. pallidinervia in West Kalimantan. According to Anderson, the species is wide spread in the peat swamp forests.
photo Driessen		 A drawing of the type material of Beccari. Note the very bullated leaves and the upright limb of the spathe.
(De Wit 1983)
drawing Ike Zewald		 In 1970 De Wit described 'C. venemae' from material collected by Haviland.
(De Wit 1970, 1971)

drawing Ike Zewald		 Known distribution of C. pallidinervia. Kettner and Witte found the plant almost along the road near Sibu.

The very best way to cultivate C. pallidinervia is to use pure beach tree soil. See for example Jacobsen 1992. The plants develop a very luxurious foliage with the promised pallid nerves.


Jan D.Bastmeijer, January 1998

Literature:

Anderson, J.A.R., 1963. The Flora of the Peat Swamp Forests of Sarawak and Brunei, including a catalogue of all recorded species of flowering plants, ferns and fern allies. Gard. Bull. 20 : 131-228 + map + 10 phot.
Bastmeijer, J.D. & C.Kettner, 1991. Cryptocoryne pallidinervia Engler. Aqua-Planta 4-91 : 123-128 (+cover).
Brown, N.E., 1880. On some new Aroideae. J.Linn.Soc.XVIII : 242-245, plate IV.
Engler, A., 1879. Cryptocoryne Fischer. Bull.Soc.Tosc.Ortic. 4 : 301-302.
Engler, A., 1882. Aracee della Malesia e della Papuasia raccolte da O.Beccari. In O.Beccari, Malesia 1 : 296-300, Abb. 27-28.
Engler, A., 1920. Cryptocoryne, Lagenandra. Das Pflanzenreich IV.23.F. Araceae - Aroideae : 232-249, Leipzig.
Jacobsen, N., 1982. Cryptocorynen. Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
Jacobsen, N., 1985. The Cryptocoryne (Araceae) of Borneo. Nord.J.Bot. 5 : 31-50.
Jacobsen, N., 1992. Die Kultur einiger schwieriger Cryptocoryne-Arten in Buchenlauberde. Aqua-Planta 1-92 : 18-25.
Kasselmann, C., 1995. Aquarienpflanzen. Ulmer, Stuttgart.
Merrill, E.D., 1921. A Bibliographic Enumeration of Bornean Plants. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society : 106-109.
Rataj, K., 1975. Revision of the genus Cryptocoryne Fischer. Studie CSAV, c.3.Praha.
Ridley, H.N., 1905. The Aroids of Borneo. J.Str.Br.Roy.As.Soc. 44 : 169-17.
Schulze, J., 1971. Cryptocorynen aus Sarawak I-IV. DATZ 24 : 230-233, 267-270, 303-306, 336-339.
Wit, H.C.D.de, 1970. A key to the species of Cryptocoryne Fish.ex Wydl.(Araceae). Misc.papers LH Wageningen 6 : 257-280.
Wit, H.C.D.de, 1971. Aquarienpflanzen. Ulmer, Stutgart.
Wit, H.C.D.de, 1990,Aquarienpflanzen, 2. Auflage,Ulmer, Stuttgart.
Witte, K.-E., 1991. Semiaquatic Ecotypes in Peat Swamp Forests: a threatened habitat with a special aquatic community. 7th International Ichthyology Congress, Den Haag.
Witte, K.-E. & J.Schmidt, 1992. Betta brownorum, a new species of anabantoids (Teleostei:Belontiidae) from northwestern Borneo, with a key to the genus. Ichthyol.Explor.Freshwaters, Vol.2,No.4:305-330