This species from northern Vietnam (the former Tonkin province) and southern China has been interpreted as C. crispatula var. flaccidifolia for years. It was December 2013 at the Aroid conference in Hanoi, that Jacobsen, Bogner, Ørgaard and Nguyen had the opportunity to visit the type locality where Balansa collected the type material in 1887. Only in 1941 the plant was described by Gagnepain as C. tonkinensis.
Click on the picture to get the full image
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A wide river in the Guangdong province in China.
Zhou0603-1
photo Zhou |
C. crispatula var. flaccidifolia is growing - nearly visible - sheltered between the boulders.
coll. Zhou 0603-1
photo Zhou |
More sheltered in the Guangxi province.
coll. ZH2010-02
photo Zhou |
Here grows it near the banks of the river..
coll. ZH2010-02
photo Zhou |
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The Hanoi group searching for var. tonkinensis in north Vietnam...
photo Ørgaard
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... quite difficult to reach the stream.
photo Ørgaard |
Where they found it.
photo Ørgaard |
An uprooted C. crispatula var. tonkinensis.
photo Ørgaard |
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The rhizome tends to grow up from the soil, the plants also makes roots growing into the free water.
coll. ØJV13-4, cult. B1594 |
The Vietnam tonkinensis grows very well in the aquarium.
coll. ØJV13-4, cult. B1594 |
As does the Chinese C. crispatula var. tonkinensis.
coll. ZH2010-03, cult. B1354 |
A close up of the attractive brown leaves.
coll. ZH2010-03, cult. B1354 |
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It is not known if var. tonkinensis has a seasonal character.
For reference to the other plants and for more literature see the page on the crispatula group.
Literature:
Gagnepain, F., 1941. Aracees nouvelles Indochinoises. Not.Syst.9, 3 : 131-134. (Document service - in French)
Gagnepain, F., 1942. Cryptocoryne Fisch. Flore generale de l'Indo-Chine : 1191-1195. (Document service - in French)
Jacobsen, N., J.D.Bastmeijer, J. Bogner, V.D. Nguyen, Q.B. Hong & M. Ørgaard. 2015. The identity of Cryptocoryne crispatula var. tonkinensis (Araceae). Willdenowia 45(2) 177-182. (Document service)
Updated January 2016
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