Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia Schott

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Habitat of C. pontederiifolia in the Utara (North) province in Sumatra coll. Wongso SW0406 photo Wongso	Another habitat of C. pontederiifolia in the Atjeh province in Sumatra coll. Wongso SW0407 photo Wongso	Plants from the Tabakis locality (Padang, Sumatra). Note the pale reddish lower side of the leaves. coll. Jacobsen NJ85-29 photo Jacobsen	Holotype of C. pontederiifolia from 1833! near Padang coll. Korthals 224 National Herbarium Leiden
Variation in the limb of the spathe of C. pontederiifolia. The collar is always extreme high in contrast to C. moehlmannii. This plant has a bright yellow limb and collar zone and a white throat. The limb is slight twisted. The spathe can reach 10 cm length. coll. unknown photo Bastmeijer	Sometimes a few fine red dots are seen in the throat. The pictures to the right show a more intense colouring. (coll. Bogner 1739 and NJ85-29 are from the same time and place (Padang)). coll. Bogner 1739 photo Bastmeijer	Less common is this full red coloured throat in C. pontederiifolia. coll. Jacobsen NJ85-29 photo Jacobsen	Only a few plants from the NJ85-29 collection showed a red collar zone and limb of the spathe. coll. Jacobsen NJ85-29 photo Bastmeijer
Wongso's collection shows distinct red dots on both the limb and the collar zone. coll .Wongso SW0406 photo Bastmeijer	In more detail coll .Wongso SW0406 photo Bastmeijer	The other collection shows only red dots on the limb. coll .Wongso SW0407 photo Bastmeijer	In close up. coll .Wongso SW0407 photo Bastmeijer
The limb may be fold forward. coll .Wongso SW0407 photo Bastmeijer	The leaves of C. pontederiifolia may develop a reddish lower side of the leaves. This is hardly seen in the close related C. moehlmannii. coll. Bogner 1739 photo van Wijngaarden	Another emersed cultivated specimen with a reddish lower side of the leaves. Mostly the plants have a pale green lower side. coll. Bogner 1739 photo van Wijngaarden	Submersed grown plants of C. pontederiifolia with the blades near the surface. coll. unknown photo van Bruggen
Aquarium picture with C. pontederiifolia in the centre. Note the slight bullate leaves coll. unknown photo van Wijngaarden	The kettle of C. pontederiifolia has a constriction in the upper part. This is seen in more species. The kettle wall is somewhat translucent. Exactly as in C. moehlmannii. coll. unknown photo Bastmeijer	Close up of the female flowers of C. pontederiifolia. Note the typical small red dots, giving at some distance an orange impression. This is also seen in  C. moehlmannii. coll. unknown photo Bastmeijer	A length section of the Atjeh plant. Note the big flap and the wide entrance to the kettle. coll. Wongso SW0407 photo Bastmeijer
A strongly misformed female part on the spadix. Its is rather rare to see this. coll. Wongso SW0406 photo Bastmeijer	Niels Jacobsen discovered in the old Korthals plant an immature spathe between the cataphyls. coll. Korthals 244 drawing Bent Johnsen	De Wit (1990) gives a drawing of C. pontederiifolia. drawing Ike Zewald and Juliet Williamson	Known Distribution of C. pontederiifolia (blue) and C. moehlmannii (red) in Sumatra.

The by Korthals in West Sumatra collected plants which were described by Schott 1863 as Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia. Unfortunately the plants were sterile and this would cause a lot of confusion.
Around 1975, crypts imported from 'Java' flowered at with a distinct yellow limb of the spathe. De Wit (1976) described them as a new species 'C. sulphurea'. In the same time, Rataj (1975) described a new species: C bogneri, which too has a bright yellow limb of the spathe. In some early articles both species are interchanged. When C. ferruginea was found on Borneo, and not recognized to be this species, one thought it might be C. pontederiifolia. Nobody knew that time the existence of a close related species from West Sumatra: C. moehlmannii. Herbarium material of this species was labeled as C. pontederiifolia. Rataj found an inflorescence in it but he did not recognize it as new.
When Jacobsen (1982) discovered an immature spathe in the holotype of C. pontederiifolia which proved to be the same as that from 'C. sulphurea' , so it was clear that the latter has to be regarded as a synonym. Some years later De Wit described C. moehlmannii based on cultivated material.
Both species, C. pontederiifolia and C. moehlmannii are excellent aquarium plants and grow very well in a simple tank. With the Atjeh plants the distribution of both plants overlap and one might expect more new 'forms'.

Jan D.Bastmeijer, updated July 2009

Literature:

Arends, J.C., Bastmeijer, J.D. & Jacobsen, N. 1982. Chromosome numbers and taxonomy in Cryptocoryne (Araceae).II. Nord.J.Bot. 2 : 453-463.
Bastmeijer, J.D. & B.E.E. Duyfjes. 1997. Zwei Cryptocorynen aus dem Gunung-Leuser-Nationalpark (Sumatra, Indonesien), 2. Teil. Cryptocoryne moehlmannii De Wit. Aqua-Planta 2-97 : 43-50.
Bruggen, H.W.E. van & J.D.Bastmeijer. 1995. Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia Schott (1863). DATZ 48(5) : 302-303.
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Jacobsen, N. 1982. Cryptocorynen , Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
Jacobsen, N. 1988. Die Geschichte der Cryptocoryne moehlmannii De Wit. Aqua-Planta 3-88: 90-95.
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Möhlmann, F. 1977. Eine neue Cryptocoryne. Aqua-Planta 3-77 : 3.
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Möhlmann, F. 1979. Cryptocoryne moehlmannii (Pflanzenportrait). Aqua-Planta 4-79 : 9-10.
Möhlmann, F. 1980. Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia (Pflanzenportrait). Aqua-Planta 4-80 : 15-16.
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Schott, H.W. 1863. Cryptocoryne Fischer in: G.Miquel Ann.Mus.Bot.Lugd.Bat. 1 : 122-123.
Vlugt, P.J.van der. 1988. Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia. Het Aquarium 58(11) : 274-278.
Wit, H.C.D.de. 1976. Drie nieuwe Cryptocroryne-soorten. Het Aquarium 46(7) : 177.
Wit, H.C.D.de. 1990. Aquarienpflanzen, 2. Auflage. Ulmer, Stuttgart.