This new species is discovered in the northern part of Sarawak where it grows rather exposed on the banks of the river. It resembles a bit C. lingua and C. ciliata in the leaves but the inflorescence is very distinct and not to compare with any other Cryptocoryne.

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Cryptocoryne zaidiana grows near a big river in northern Sarawak. photo Ipor	A small tributary of the river with C. zaidiana growing on the banks. photo Ipor	The whole bank is crowded with C. zaidiana. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipo	Close up of C. zaidiana on the bank of the stream. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor

Another close up of C. zaidiana with dark green leaves. Note the small ´ears´ at the base. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor	A wild collected plant of C. zaidiana with an immature spathe. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor	A young cultivated plant. The leaves are smooth, even green, rather thick and with a more or less truncated base. coll. CST 2548, cult. B1120	C. zaidiana can grow twice as big here (pot 9 cm diam.)  coll. CST 2548, cult. B1120

A semi emersed cultivated plant with an emerging bud. coll. CST 2548, cult. NJ photo Jacobsen	Limb of the spathe of C. zaidiana. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor	Note the extreme warts on the surface. coll. IBI 05-33, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen	A less intense colored limb of the spathe. coll. CST 2548, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen

The limb recurs. coll. CST 2548, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen	Top of the limb with the very pronounced warts. coll. CST 2548, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen	A pronounced collar. coll. CST 2548, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen	A pressed spathe to show the whole inside surface of the limb. coll. CST 2548, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen

Opened lower part of the tube, the kettle. The kettle is a bit constricted in the middle, the lower part is red purple. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor	Note the typical form of the styles. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor	In this cultivated specimen, the kettle wall is fully white inside. coll. CST 2548, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen	The styles are elongated, the stigma´s are ´half way´, not seen in any other Cryptocoryne. coll. CST 2548, cult.NJ photo Jacobsen

A fruit (a so called syncarpium) from a wild collected specimen. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor	Seeds of C. zaidiana found inside the syncarpium. coll. CST 2548 photo Ipor	Drawing of C. zaidiana. drawing by Joseph Pao	Distribution of C. zaidiana in Sarawak. Up to now only one locality is known

The first results in cultivating are very promising. The plant is robust and grows easy in a 'standard' potting medium. However the propagation seems to be rather low as only a few runners are made in half a year. The is no experience yet in submersed cultivation (aquarium) but probably it will do and it may an attractive plant by its truncated leaves.

Updated January 2006

Literature

Ipor, I.B., C.S. Tawan & N. Jacobsen, 2005. A new species of Cryptocoryne (Araceae) from Borneo. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 57: 1-6.