Bolbitis heteroclita | |
---|---|
Terrestrial habit of B. heteroclita | |
B. heteroclita 'Difformis', a small-leafed variety from the Philippines | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Division: | Polypodiophyta |
Class: | Polypodiopsida |
Order: | Polypodiales |
Suborder: | Polypodiineae |
Family: | Dryopteridaceae |
Genus: | Bolbitis |
Species: | B. heteroclita |
Binomial name | |
Bolbitis heteroclita | |
Synonyms | |
Bolbitis asiatica |
Bolbitis heteroclita is an aquatic fern species of Bolbitis , it is native to Southeast Asia and Melanesia, as well as parts of northeastern South Asia, southern East Asia, and Micronesia (Pohnpei and Kosrae). [1] [2] [3] It is commonly cultivated as an aquatic ornamental for aquariums and garden ponds.
Bolbitis heteroclita is native to the subtropical and tropical regions Asia, Melanesia, and Micronesia; including Assam (India), Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan in South Asia; southern China (including Hainan), Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands (Japan) in East Asia; Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam in Mainland Southeast Asia; Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines in Island Southeast Asia; Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in Melanesia; and Pohnpei and Kosrae in the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. [1]
Bolbitis heteroclita is, fairly commonly, cultivated and sold as an ornamental plant for planted aquariums and garden ponds. It is one of two species of Bolbitis that are popular for use as freshwater aquarium plants, the second being Bolbitis heudelotii . [4] Despite their relative popularity, these plants are not suitable for most novice aquarists. They can be unexpectedly sensitive in some cases, requiring minimal flow of water, with a gentle current; soft, acidic water is also preferred, ideally between 6.0 and 7.0, although there may be exceptions based on local water qualities. As these ferns are more adapted to a riparian, semi-submerged growth habit (rather than fully aquatic and submerged), it may be taxing on the plants to maintain them fully underwater, long-term. It is best to cultivate aquatic ferns, including Bolbitis, with their roots simply tied or attached to driftwood or rocks, and only a few inches beneath the water's surface. Their leaves are best maintained floating just at and above the waterline, where they can access fresh air while keeping their delicate, hair-like roots fully saturated.
The addition of carbon dioxide can greatly improve the health of all aquarium plants, especially epiphytes like ferns, with many online tutorials and videos demonstrating how to achieve this; for the average aquarist, though, this is inconceivable, if only initially, and may be considered a difficult feat for others. Thankfully, it is not a requirement. More importantly, weekly water changes of between 25 and 75% of the total aquarium volume are vital, dependent on bioload and vertebrate and fish count in the aquarium. Clean, renewed water has been shown to boost aquatic ferns' health, as it stirs the water column and cleans off the broad surfaces of the leaves, preventing the buildup of algae, mulm and detritus; this buildup can ultimately block sunlight and prevent photosynthesis, and even cause the plant to decline.
This species, however, is easy to grow as a terrestrial or immersed (in ponds) potted plant. It is remarkable for the resemblance of the fronds of a certain size to poison ivy leaves. Some plant nurseries and growers sell this under the former name Bolbitis asiatica.
The Federated States of Micronesia, or simply Micronesia, is an island country in Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania. The federation consists of four states—from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae—that are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise around 607 islands that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km (1,700 mi) just north of the equator. They lie northeast of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, south of Guam and the Marianas, west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands, east of Palau and the Philippines, about 2,900 km (1,800 mi) north of eastern Australia, 3,400 km (2,100 mi) southeast of Japan, and some 4,000 km (2,485 mi) southwest of the main islands of the Hawaiian Islands.
Salvinia molesta, commonly known as giant salvinia, or as kariba weed after it infested a large portion of Lake Kariba between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is an aquatic fern, native to south-eastern Brazil. It is a free-floating plant that does not attach to the soil, but instead remains buoyant on the surface of a body of water. The fronds are 0.5–4 cm long and broad, with a bristly surface caused by the hair-like strands that join at the end to form eggbeater shapes. They are used to provide a waterproof covering. These fronds are produced in pairs also with a third modified root-like frond that hangs in the water. It has been accidentally introduced or escaped to countless lakes throughout the United States, including Caddo Lake in Texas, where the invasive species has done extensive damage, killing off other life.
Platycerium is a genus of about 18 fern species in the polypod family, Polypodiaceae. Ferns in this genus are widely known as staghorn or elkhorn ferns due to their uniquely shaped fronds. This genus is epiphytic and is native to tropical and temperate areas of South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Guinea.
Asplenium scolopendrium, commonly known as the hart's-tongue fern, is an evergreen fern in the family Aspleniaceae native to the Northern Hemisphere.
Nymphaea lotus, the white Egyptian lotus, tiger lotus, white lotus, or Egyptian water-lily, is a flowering plant of the family Nymphaeaceae.
Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, or driftwood, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium—in effect, gardening under water. Aquascape designs include a number of distinct styles, including the garden-like Dutch style and the Japanese-inspired nature style. Typically, an aquascape houses fish as well as plants, although it is possible to create an aquascape with plants only, or with rockwork or other hardscape and no plants.
The Aponogetonaceae are a family of flowering plants in the order Alismatales.
Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond. There is also a piscicultural fishkeeping industry, serving as a branch of agriculture.
Limnophila sessiliflora, known as dwarf ambulia, ambulis, and Asian marshweed is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae.
Ceratopteris thalictroides is a fern species belonging to the genus Ceratopteris, one of only two genera of the subfamily Parkerioideae of the family Pteridaceae.
Azolla cristata , the Carolina mosquitofern, Carolina azolla or water velvet, is a species of Azolla native to the Americas, in eastern North America from southern Ontario southward, and from the east coast west to Wisconsin and Texas, and in the Caribbean, and in Central and South America from southeastern Mexico (Chiapas) south to northern Argentina and Uruguay.
Ceratopteris is the only genus among homosporous ferns that is exclusively aquatic. It is pan-tropical and classified in the Parkerioideae subfamily of the family Pteridaceae.
A freshwater aquarium is a receptacle that holds one or more freshwater aquatic organisms for decorative, pet-keeping, or research purposes. Modern aquariums are most often made from transparent glass or acrylic glass. Typical inhabitants include fish, plants, amphibians, and invertebrates, such as snails and crustaceans.
Lygodium microphyllum is a climbing fern originating in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, Melanesia and Australia. It is an invasive weed in Florida where it invades open forest and wetland areas. The type specimen was collected in the vicinity of Nabúa, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines by Luis Née.
Bolbitis heudelotii, also known as the African water fern, creeping fern, and Congo fern, is native to subtropical and tropical Africa, from Ethiopia west to Senegal; and down to northern South Africa.
Cabomba caroliniana, commonly known as Carolina fanwort and various other names, is an aquatic perennial herbaceous plant native to North and South America. Having been a popular aquarium plant, it has been exported around the world, and has become an invasive species in Europe and Australia.
Marsilea quadrifolia is a herbaceous plant found naturally in central and southern Europe, Caucasia, western Siberia, Afghanistan, south-west India, China, Japan, and Vietnam, though it is considered a weed in some parts of the United States, where it has been well established in the northeast for over 100 years. Its common names include four leaf clover and European waterclover (USA).
Lomariopsis lineata is a species of fern native to South East Asia. The prothallia of this species are commonly cultivated as an aquarium plant, where it is known to aquarists as süsswassertang. It is often incorrectly spelled "subwassertang" due to the German eszett's similarity to the Latin 'B'. It is also called Loma fern or round pellia. In the aquarium industry, it is commonly confused with similar-looking liverworts of the genus Pellia and Monosolenium.
Pandanus dubius, commonly known as bakong or knob-fruited screwpine, is a species of Pandanus (screwpine) native to Island Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and the Western Pacific islands, and possibly also to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Carolines tropical moist forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion in Micronesia. It includes the central and eastern Caroline Islands in the Federated States of Micronesia.
Media related to Bolbitis heteroclita at Wikimedia Commons