Rotala indica | Aquasabi – Aquascaping Shop

There’s fairly a little bit of confusion across the title Rotala indica in aquaristics. The rationale for that is, that in 1960, Rotala rotundifolia was imported below the misguided title “Rotala indica”. Even at present, particularly reddish types of the very variable R. rotundifolia are offered as “Rotala indica” in commerce.
True R. indica, nonetheless, is a competely totally different species that doesn’t play an important position as aquarium plant. Solely not too long ago, the plant offered as “Ammannia sp. ‘Bonsai’ ” has been recognized as true Rotala indica. It was additionally confused with Lindernia sp. “India”.
Rotala indica is extensively unfold within the hotter areas of Asia and may be very typically discovered as annual weed in rice paddies. It has been launched into different areas of the earth the place rice is cultivated, e.g. in Northern Italy.

The emersed in addition to the submersed types of R. indica differ distinctly from R. (learn extra)

There’s fairly a little bit of confusion across the title Rotala indica in aquaristics. The rationale for that is, that in 1960, Rotala rotundifolia was imported below the misguided title “Rotala indica”. Even at present, particularly reddish types of the very variable R. rotundifolia are offered as “Rotala indica” in commerce.
True R. indica, nonetheless, is a competely totally different species that doesn’t play an important position as aquarium plant. Solely not too long ago, the plant offered as “Ammannia sp. ‘Bonsai’ ” has been recognized as true Rotala indica. It was additionally confused with Lindernia sp. “India”.
Rotala indica is extensively unfold within the hotter areas of Asia and may be very typically discovered as annual weed in rice paddies. It has been launched into different areas of the earth the place rice is cultivated, e.g. in Northern Italy.

The emersed in addition to the submersed types of R. indica differ distinctly from R. rotundifolia.
The leaves of R. indica are 0.5-1.7 cm lengthy. Their emersed and submersed kinds don’t differ a lot, they’re obovate to spatulate and have an obtuse tip. Typical for R. indica, and one other distinction to R. rotundifolia, is the “cartilaginous” leaf margin: with a powerful magnifying lens or below a microscope it may be seen that the leaf margin is thicker and whiteish clear (with out chlorophyll). The submersed type of R. indica has a strictly upright development behavior, dense foliage, a comparatively thick stem and never very ramified. Beneath ample mild, the shoot tip is reddish.
The stems of the emersed type lie low on the bottom. The tiny reddish flowers seem on brief lateral shoots or within the leaf axils alongside the stem and have very small, inconspicuous petals. In distinction to those, the flowers of R. rotundifolia are fairly distinct in upright spikes on the shoot tip.

Rotala indica is a somewhat sluggish grower, and within the aquarium it has comparatively excessive calls for relating to mild depth and nutrient provide. Its virtually pillar-like upright shoots are finest planted as bigger, particular person group of stems of various size within the middleground of a tank.

To be continued…