February Meeting

[halak]

I will be there, and I will be bringing the following:

Free or best offer : )
- chemical package: Replenish (new), Acid Buffer (new), Stress Zyme, Stress Coat, Phosphate-Ease, Ultimate water conditioner (new)

Invasive species (just give me something for it-a big thank you and a smile or a dozen blue tigers, for example)
- Hygrophila sp. 'Tiger'
- Hygrophila polysperma sp. 'Sunset'

For the auction:
- Cryptocoryne wendtii 'red'
- Eichhornia diversifolia
- Echinodorus angustifolia 'Vesuvius'
- Ludwigia repens
- Hygrophila corymbosa 'Angustifolia'
- Marsilea quadrifolia
- Mayaca fluviatilis

If someone wants some Vallisneria nana or Rotala rotundifolia , let me know and can bring you some. The price is one dollar for a dozen or more plants.

[JLW]

Actually, Halak:

Hygro. sp. "Tiger" is not listed as an invasive species, and there is (currently) no Maryland law regulating H. polysperma. So, provided no one crosses a state line with it, there's no reason to not auction it -- in Maryland. That's set to change sometime in the next 18 months, though. However, it is unlikely any law will regulate aquarium hobbyist possession of it.

[krisw]

JLW, Hygrophila sp. 'Tiger' is a H. polysperma variant, so the same transport rules would apply as the Sunset.

[JLW]

H. sp. "Tiger" is being touted as a separate species from H. polysperma. It has a slightly different growth form, and the tiger veination.

See: http://www.aquaticplantenthusiasts.com/ ... -weed.html

The two different plants do look pretty similar to me, but ... then again ... if Corydoras duplicareus and adolphoi can be different species, these can be too. Aside from differences in the shape of the leaves and such, there's apparently a pretty big difference in flowers, which is a definite diagnostic that these are different species and NOT simply a cultivar.

With that being said, I'm not so sure it'd be a good idea to push the issue. If the Fed. (or a state agency) was to get the (incorrect) impression that people were skirting the laws by bringing in variants of plants under synonymous or questionable names, their reaction might be to ban the entire genus Hygrophila. I like my Wisteria! Similarly, whenever keeping a plant that has the possible potential to become invasive in any area, which would basically be everything except maybe Anubias (I'll eat those words some day), we should exercise care and reasonable caution to ensure it does NOT become introduced somewhere.

[ingg]

And until that fellow from Texas can show you flowers that differentiate, take anything he says with a grain of salt... if you want to give the grain of salt even.

Growth patterns mean dooky. Seriously. As much as I hate to say it (and those that know me *know* I hate to say it), the only way you are going to get an accurate species confirmation is through the flowering and ID of someone a little more professional and knowledgeable than one who looks at the underwater growth and states "it has veins".

As one example, there is a local Maryland variant of Mermaid weed that you would NEVER think is mermaid weed - right up until you flower it. And it is. And it is undeniable.

As another example, there are several variants of rotala Macrandra, some so startlingly different that you look at them and think there is just no way.... but it is.

While I think it is of equal if not sometimes higher importance to make sure we know what they are and do recognize variants (in terms of variants underwater, and strictly as a hobbyist wanting to know what it looks like underwater), species ID is species ID. You can't say it is another species because you want to, or from regional or underwater growth variations. Only true accurate species identification. (somewhere, Cavan is currently hearing a ringing in his ear, and will probably dance a two step seeing me admit this.... ).... now, as for naming variants... we should be doing a WAY better job as hobbyists and in formal nomenclature.... but that is another topic altogether!

[SCMurphy]

I will be missing this meeting. I will be in Florida collecting for 4 days.

[krisw]

I will be missing this meeting. I will be in Florida collecting for 4 days.

Well then you just raised our expectations for you at the March meeting. Good luck in Florida!

[scientist0724]

I will be missing this meeting. I will be in Florida collecting for 4 days.

Well then you just raised our expectations for you at the March meeting. Good luck in Florida!

Yeah, Sean! We expect you to bring us back something good


Arlene

[sns26]

I don't think I will be making it either. If anyone wants trident java fern, please let me know; I think I'm going to thin the forest in the next week or two and will have a LOT if anyone wants it.

[halak]

If anyone has cherry shrimp for sale and can bring them to the meeting, please let me know.