Cryptocoryne striolata

Cryptocoryne striolata Engler

Cryptocoryne striolata is rather well known. The plants is widespread in Borneo and is collected (and shipped) many times. But it is nearly impossible to grow this very nice plant in an aquarium. Even in emersed culture this one is not easy to grow for a long time. This web page deals mainly on the variation in this species. It proves to be very difficult to recognize not flowering plants because of the variation in the leaves.

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Typical inflorescence of Cryptocoryne striolata. Note the very slender tail of the limb. A collar lacks. Unknown collection. photo Bastmeijer	The limb may be yellowish. The throat is almost black to purple red or may be red dotted. Collection Jacobsen 78-1 (1978). photo Jacobsen	Fresh imported specimen flowering and fruiting in Zurich (CH). Collection Kettner 74 (1984). photo Kettner	De Wit cultivated this specimen of C. striolata in the Wageningen hothouses (ca 1970). photo de Wit


1999, Yuji Sasaki collected C. striolata (TB2) in Sarawak. Note the dark, almost black bullated leaves. photo Sasaki	Collection Jacobsen 78-49 with green even leaves. photo Jacobsen	Variation in the leaves from plants collected very close to each other.Collection Jacobsen 78-1 and 78-3. photo Jacobsen	Also in culture, the leaves of C. striolata are variable. The older (green) leaves are the 'import' leaves. photo Bastmeijer


Cultivated specimen of C. striolata ( C. gracilis ). Note the long, bullated leaves. See the the herbarium sheet below. photo de Wit	The older leaves almost black with the young leaves coming out brownish. photo Kettner	An even leaved specimen with distinct striping on the leaves. Collection Jacobsen 78-3 (1978) photo Jacobsen	When the fruit (syncarpium) opens, the seeds will germinate immediately. Note the only 4 parts of the fruit. photo de Wit


Male flowers of C. striolata. The appendix (just above the flowers) is rather dark in this specimen. photo Bastmeijer	Female flowers of C. striolata. They are not as well developed as in the plant at right. Unknown collection. photo Bastmeijer	The spadix is rather short in this inflorescence. Note the red spots on the valve. Collection Sasaki TB2. photo Sasaki	The herbarium sheet Pursegrove 5361, collected in 1956, which de Wit used for his description of C. gracilis. herbarium Singapore


One of the plates (Engler 1882) with top left C. striolata according to Beccari's most famous trip to Sarawak in 1878.	Drawing of C. striolata var. gracilis and C. striolata var. ongii (de Wit 1990) drawing Ike Zewald	Drawing of C. striolata var. gracilis (de Wit 1990). drawing Ike Zewald	Known distribution of C. striolata in Borneo. As the Southern and Eastern parts are less investigated, the distribution may be larger.

Cryptocoryne striolata is characterized by its slender spathe which ends with a long tailed, narrow limb. The limb is even and has a yellow to redpurple color. The throat is distinct colored with a red zone, sometimes downwards with red spots. There is no collar present. De Wit distinguishes three var.'s based on the variation in the color of the limb. It proves not to be a very good distinction for that and is not followed. On the other hand, variation in the leaves, both in nature and - in the same material - in culture, make it impossible to put any decision about the identity of not flowering plants. This situation is not unusual in Cryptocoryne.
The chromosome count for C. striolata is 2n=20. This is quite remarkable for it is only shared with C. keei and C. hudoroi, two other species from Borneo. The spathes are rather close, the leaves of both other species are rather long with a strong bullated surface (Bogner 1989).

Jan D. Bastmeijer, 1 January 2000

Literature.

Arends, J.C., Bastmeijer, J.D. & Jacobsen, N.,1982. Chromosome numbers and taxonomy in Cryptocoryne (Araceae).II. Nord.J.Bot. 2 : 453-463.
Bogner, J., 1989. Cryptocoryne hudoroi Bogner et Jacobsen. Aqua-Planta 1-89 : 12-16.
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 in) Das Pflanzenreich IV.23.F. Araceae - Aroideae : 232-249, Leipzig.
Horst, K., 1982. Sind die Cryptocorynen aus Borneo für Aquarien geeignet ? III. Aqua-Planta 1-82 : 3-5.
Horst, K., 1986. Pflanzen im Aquarium. Ulmer, Stuttgart.
Jacobsen, N., 1982.Cryptocoryne from Borneo. Meded. WAP 3 : 61-76.
Jacobsen, N., 1982. Cryptocorynen. Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
Jacobsen, N., 1984. Cryptocoryne from Borneo – postscript. Meded. WAP 5 : 38-43.
Jacobsen, N., 1985. The Cryptocoryne (Araceae) of Borneo. Nord.J.Bot. 5 : 31-50.
Jacobsen, N., 1986. Deterioration of the habitats of the Cryptocoryne species. Symp.Bedreiging van het aquatisch milieu, Ludwigia, Wageningen : 33.
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.
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Ridley, H.N., 1905. The Aroids of Borneo. J.Str.Br.Roy.As.Soc. 44 : 169-171.
Sadilek, V., 1979. Unklarheiten bei Cryptocoryne cordata. DATZ 32/2 : 56-58.
Schulze, J., 1971. Cryptocorynen aus Sarawak I-IV. DATZ 24 : 230-233, 267-270, 303-306,
Tomey, W.A., 1978. Twee Cryptocorynen van Upper Sadong in Sarawak, Noord Borneo. Het Aquarium 48(11) : 287-288.
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, 1990. Aquarienpflanzen, 2. Auflage. Ulmer, Stuttgart. ISBN 3-8001-7185-6.