The Variegated Thumb

I previously had a post all about Aglaonemas, my favorite emersed species of plant.  To me, Anubias is the aquatic equivalent of Aglaonema – my favorite submerged species of plant.  The similarities begin with the fact that they are both Aroids (a subfamily of the family Araceae).  Each genera is one of the most common “foliage” plant in the houseplant or aquarium hobbies, respectively.  They are both being hybridized constantly and the number of common names is seeming to surpass the number of true unique species.  Most of the plants are known by common names that may or may not identify them as distinct cultivars.  Anubias is not nearly as large of a genus as Aglaonema, but that’s fitting because the number of aquatic species is significantly less than terrestrial species.

Since Anubias are very popular among aquarists (aquarium hobbyists), there is a wealth of information about growing them and a ton of different sources from which you can purchase them on the internet.  However, there is little care for classification.  It kind of surprises me that more aquarists don’t seek to clarify the names of Anubias that are being sold.  So many are just sold under common names or (worse yet) incorrect scientific names.  I have a fascination with the classification and I sure as heck don’t want to buy a plant thinking that it is a species I am not familiar with, only to realize I already have the plant and it was mislabeled!  This is a call to action for all aquarists out there who want to see the hundreds (or at least in the 30s) of apparent varieties of Anubias properly classified. 

Here is my photo album of my collection of Anubias, with some comments on the plants and fish pictured.  Make sure to read the comments.

An excerpt from Wikipedia: “Anubias… [are] native to tropical central and western Africa.  They primarily grow in rivers and streams, but can also be found in marshes. … The genus was revised in 1979 and since then its taxonomy has been stable.  Species can be determined by using mostly characteristics of the inflorescence.”

Conditions and propagation
Anubias are a low light plant – again, like Aglaonemas.  Many aquatic plants require specific lighting (which can be rather expensive) and even CO2 infusion with expensive equipment.  Alternatively, a number of aquarists make their own CO2 infusers, but I haven’t tried that yet.  Anubias thrive in a wider range of temperatures compared with other aquatic plants.  They do very well in unheated indoor aquariums for tropical fish, cold water fish, and even African cichlids.  Anubias can be propagated from cuttings.  Sometimes the rhizome will develop branches that are easily removed.  Otherwise, the rhizome can just be cut in half, producing two plants.  These plants are very slow growing.  Most people say that they grow at the rate of one new leaf every 2-3 months.  I have not put my new leaf formation on the clock yet.  You have to have a quick finger on the stopwatch for these plants!  I should note that they are supposed to grow quicker when their leaves are emersed and only their roots submerged.  I have not had a need or a place to grow them this way, so I don’t really know the comparative rates.

Color variations
Unlike Aglaonemas, Anubias are usually solid green in color.  There are a couple of variegations, which is uncommon in aquatic plant genera.  I have one Anubias barteria var. nana ‘marbled’ plant I bought that is variegated, with most of the leaf white and some speckling of green (pictured in my photo album).  This is a very unique species.  I haven’t really ever seen any others like it.  I also have a couple of Anubias barteri v. coffeefolia, which is a deeper green, with dark ribbing on the leaves.  Also, as new leaves form on this plant the stems appear red and sometimes the new leaves are more yellowish in color, darkening as they mature.  Anubias barteri var. nana ‘gold’ is a color variation of the common nana.  This one is a yellow green color, which could be misconstrued as simply sick.  But it’s not – it’s a true color variation.  You generally won’t see leaves change colors (unless they subsequently rot and die) with Anubias.  Having tolerance for very low light, Anubias don’t usually experience yellowing leaves under different light conditions.  However, an increase of light may benefit the growth of algae on the leaves.  In several cases I have had to cut back the number of hours my aquarium is lit each day to get rid of unsightly algae.

Leaf variations
The species of Anubias that are not barteri are generally distinguished by different leaf shapes.  (All varieties of barteri have an ovular shape.)  Some “varieties” of barteri are currently being sold as either “broad leaf” or “round leaf” or “pointed leaf.”  The combinations are endless, and I have a feeling real botanists or anyone with some experience in true taxonomy would laugh at these being sold as different species.  But then again, I don’t know.  Rather than gain permission from a number of different sources for the reuse of their pictures, here’s a link to the google image search for Anubias.  As you can see, there’s lots of pictures out there.

And here is a link to the Aluka digital library.  They seem to know something about classification of these plants.

Sizes
I have probably about 20 Anubias (about 6 species) and have had quite a bit of success with them.  My oldest is a simple A. barteri v. barteri that I have had for at least 3 years.  Needless to say, even with it’s slow growth, it is much larger than when I bought it.  It’s rhizome is probably about 8 inches long now, and the leaves are reaching the surface of the water, about 14 inches in total height.   I have seen some pictures of some rather large barteri – usually sold as “Monster barteri” or “barteri Mother Plant.”  Generally, the leaf sizes are consistent, but the number of leaves and the size of the plant overall will grow steadily.  Many aquarists would rather have an abundance of plants and will cut apart the creeping rhizome, and spread out the sections of plant in their aquarium.  Still, there are some that allow their plant to grow unrestricted.  I have allowed mine to do this and I’m pretty happy with it.  Even the nanas will grow to be a large clump of leaves over time.  There is really not a limit when the plant is in a favorable environment.  It is becoming increasingly popular to use A. barteri var. nana ‘petite’ as a carpet or foreground.  The leaves are small enough to give the desired look, as long as the aquarium is not too small (scale is important).  The drawbacks are the growth speed and the fact that it does not like to be buried in a substrate.  For this reason, the rhizome needs to be tied down or anchored, without being covered, where it will surely rot in time.  Therefore, in my opinion, nana ‘petite’ is not a very good choice for a carpet plant because of the work required to make it look right and last more than a couple of weeks.  Another small variety is A. barteri var. nana ‘minima.’  This one is still pretty rare and again, I don’t know if it is a true variety/cultivar/forma or maybe just one person’s plant that demonstrates some natural variability.  It is distinguished by small leaves that are longer in shape, more like the afzelli.  I have seen this one in solid green and a splotchy sort of variegation.

Make sure to check out the photo album to see some of my Anubias.

The spunkiest!
To name my favorite species would be kind of difficult, so I will simply talk about some of the distinct traits of my three favorites.  The dark green leaves and even darker veining of A. coffeefolia are striking in an aquarium crowded with bright greens and reds.  Similaryly, the white veins of A. barteri var. nana ‘stardust’ stands out, even with it’s small stature.  I have never had a ‘stardust’ and I have found them to be rather elusive among the couple of websites that sell them from time to time.  A. barteri var. nana ‘marbled’ is quite possibly the only primarily white aquatic plant you will ever see – the only one that I have seen.

List of names I have seen used to identify Anubias
afzelli

angustifolia
congensis
ellipticus
lanceolata (Devil’s Tongue)
rotundifolia
rubescens

bangkok
barteri

angustifolia
barteri
caladifolia
glabra
marble
nana

eyes
gold
marble leaf
minima
petite
stardust
variegata
wrinkled leaf

variegated

caladifolia
cameroon
coffeefolia
congo (congensis on steroids)
frazeri
garbon
gigantea
gilletii
gracilis
hastifolia
heteroclita
heterophylla

undulatus latifolia
undulatus angustifolia
spathulata
pectinatus

kumbaensis
nancon
nangii
narrow leaf
pynaertii
rigidus
round leaf
stardust
yellow heart

Anubias can be purchased from a number of online stores specializing in aquatic plants.  (They can also be found at PetsMart and Wal-Marts from time to time.)  Here’s an incomplete list of some of the best online aquatic stores:
http://www.aquariumplants.com
http://eaquaplant.com/
http://freshwateraquariumplants.com
http://www.azgardens.com/
http://www.aquabotanicstore.com/

There are usually quite a few Anubias for sale on Aquabid, as well.  Aquabid is a wonderful site; it is the eBay for the aquarium hobby.

On any of these sites, they usually have aquatic plants divided into a couple of categories.  Anubias usually fall into the “rooted” and “easy” or “beginner” categories – and of course, when “anubias” is a category you can find them there

Since my last post I have acquired several new plants, specifically three Aglaonemas. So, this post is going to be about Aglaonemas. As I mentioned in the last post, I have lots of favorite plants, but genus-wide, Aglaonemas are my favorite. They are a very common foliage plant in office buildings, malls, etc. – commonly called “Chinese Evergreen,” “Silver King,” or “Silver Queen.” It is a very low maintenance plant that grows well in a range of lighting conditions and watering. For this reason, many different varieties have been cultivated that have varying silvery variegations. The goal of these cultivars is to create a more showy, unique look, with the same hardiness as the natural occurring species. Here’s what I know about them:Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
SubClass: base monocots
Order: Alismatales
SubOrder:
Family: Araceae
SubFamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Aglaonemateae

I have compiled a list (nomenclature) with as many different species and cultivars as I could find.

Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
SubClass: base monocots
Order: Alismatales
SubOrder:
Family: Araceae
SubFamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Aglaonemateae

Two of the species I found recently were of average size plants (about 8 inches tall) – of species that I had not seen before.

My third find was another A. species I had not seen before(below), but this one was monstrous - and blooming! Aglaonemas are not known for their inflorescence (bloomage), so I was surprised to see fairly elegant, simple white blooms on this plant that closely resemble a peace lily (spathiphyllum). I have not been able to get a proper species identification on this one yet.

A couple of my Anubias plants have also produced nice blooms in my 29 gallon planted aquarium, that resemble the bloom of a peace lily.
Back to my new species of Aglaonemas… I have another new species (below) without an id. It looks a bit like a variety of A. pictum. The leaves have three shades of green and the plant appears much darker than most Aglaonema species, due to its lack of silver coloring.

My other new Aglaonema (below) is also unidentified. It has fairly large leaves that are predominantly silver, with two shades of green.

And here are some pictures of my other Aglaonemas:

A. commutatum (above): This was my first Aglaonema, given to me by my mom. It grows on a long, spindly stalk, much less like a rosette, compared with my others. It was in a jar of water for a long period of time (at least a year) rooting, before it was planted and given to me.

A. ‘B.J. Freeman’(above): This one is a very large cultivar and has survived an attack by Pippa, my dog. She ate several of the large leaves, leaving behind the spines. It had a rough time for a couple weeks after that, but has recovered pretty nicely.

A. minima: This plant (above) is claimed to be an Aglaonema. I’m not sure that it is; I’m not sure that it isn’t. I am sure that it doesn’t look much like the pictures of the plant before I ordered it (above-top)! I have 5 of these living in my 29 gallon aquarium, where their leaves turn yellow and mushy quite often, but are replaced by new growth.


A. ‘Maria’ (above): Last is my favorite - Maria. It seems to be the most striking of all Aglaonema I have seen. And it does help that this is my fullest Aglaonema.

As far as I know, there are about 20 naturally-occurring legitimate species and probably around 150 cultivars. Some of them are so similar that I don’t know how they can be correctly identified. Just in case anyone is interested, I like to post pictures of my unidentifiables plants to the “Name that plant” forum (http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/namegal/). There are lots of knowledgeable people who regularly check the forum and identify plants for people. Most Aglaonemas have cool silvery splotches of some sorts. But there are a couple that are not very showy, and to me, not very interesting (A. modestum). Some cool Aglaonemas that I don’t have include A. costatum, A. ‘Black Lance’, A. ‘White Lance’, and A. pictum ‘tricolor’.

This post commences my plant blog. In the last year or two I have become a very avid hobbyist of all things plants. Maybe not all things plants, but many things plants, including some tangent hobbies. In fact, one of these tangent hobbies is how I made my way towards “plant-geek.”
I have kind of liked plants for a long time. When I was younger I used to help my mom water all of her plants. I was pretty good at remembering all of the names and identifying them when I saw them away from our home. My grandmothers were both fond of flowers and plants, too.

So, when I had my own house I naturally had a couple of houseplants to make the place feel “like home.”

Oddly enough, I think my current obsession with plants (yes, it is an obsession: ask Christie!) grew out of my aquarium hobby, which I just started at the beginning of 2005. After setting up my 29 gallon aquarium I was excited and spent quite a bit of time watching my newly-acquired fish swim around my fully-stocked tank. But soon, I became a little less interested in my aquarium, which would change little with time. All of my time of planning the perfect fish and decorations had allowed me to constantly change my mind and redesign. However, after the aquarium was set up there were few changes I could make (usually just when I lost a fish). Anyway, I soon found that there were some aquatic plants that could be added to my aquarium – and some of the fish I had in my tank actually prefer a planted tank! So I slowly started collecting plants for my aquarium and making my aquarium more suitable for their growth. I even went through a tedious process of emptying my tank and starting the whole setup again, using a richer plant substrate, rather than large gravel pebbles. I quickly became a huge fan of the aquatic genus Anubias. I now own the following Anubias species:

· A. afzelli var. lanceolata
· A. barteri
· A. barteri var. nana
· A. barteri var. nana ‘petite’
· A. barteri var. nana ‘marble leaf’
· A. coffeefolia
· A. gracilis

So, you might notice that one of those tangent hobbies that I have taken on is plant taxonomy. Not that I am a taxonomist, or anything. But I really like to know what varieties of each plant that I have. And I like to try to collect as many different types that I can. It’s especially a challenge for aquatic plants, since there are relatively few locations to buy them.

The analogous houseplant genus that I collect like anubias is called aglaonema. It is a very common and popular foliage plant used in office buildings and malls, etc. It’s common name is ‘Chinese Evergreen.’ There are a ton of varieties of this plant, both natural and cultivars. I just have 5 of them as of right now, but I am planning on collecting quite a few more. I currently have:

· A. ‘Silver King’ (nitidum x. pictum ‘Tricolor’)
· A. ‘B.J. Freeman’
· A. Minima
· A. ‘Maria’
· A. unknown

But hey! I’m getting a little too specific for my introductory post. Maybe you’re wondering why I named my blog site what I did (or maybe not). Being a connoisseur of fine foliage plants, I like variegation, so rather than naming my site after the common phrase “The Green Thumb,” I chose this fun variation - or maybe I should say variegation! For now, I will leave you with a picture of a beautiful scindapsus pictus: