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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PLANTS

Barclaya longifolia

Family of Nymphaeaceae (Juvenile).
Distribution Burma, Andaman Islands, Southern Thailand, southern regions of Hindustan, Sumatra, New Guinea.
Aquatic plant with tuberous or up to 6 cm long, thin, fleshy rhizome. The leaves are collected in a rosette, the petiole is 3 - 10 (20) cm. The leaf plate is elongated, membranous, on the front side glabrous, from the rear a little pimply. In young leaves, the base is round, subsequent leaves are heart-shaped to slightly spear-shaped. Edge of leaf wavy. In the culture there are forms of red and neutral green color, hence the name of the varieties "red-leaved" and "green-leaved". The most common variety is "red," the leaves have a red wine or brownish-red face, the back is pale purple, a rarer "green" variety, the olive-green face, and the lower one is also pale violet.
Cvetonos up to 50 cm long, has 5 sepals, 7 - 10 petals, 2 - 3 circles, only in the upper part loose, outside olive green, from within from purple-red to dark-purple. Sterile stamens are arranged in approximately 2 rows, fertile, free stamens arranged in 3 - 6 (7) rows. Ovary lower 8 - 10 or 12 - 14 carpels, radially located, the continuation of them fuses into a "disk", at the end it is free, so that through the outwardly emerging outcrop pollen gets on the carpels. The fruit is a berry, containing about 300 round, brown and densely strewn with long, soft spines of 1 mm in size. The fetal tissue at first mucous, sticky and vitreous, at the time of maturation is strong, from white to pale pink.
Luxurious, recommended, but somewhat capricious aquarium plant, which is best kept in acidic water, soft - medium hardness, at a temperature of 25-28 degrees C. A nutritious primer is recommended (clay additive). Illumination is less important, however, plants, of course, should not be in the dark. Delicate leaves Barclaya longifolia for snails is a delicious food, so you should be careful. After a period of active growth and lush flowering usually stops in development, but after a few weeks it resumes growth. Under good cultivation conditions, the plant can undergo several similar phases; But, despite this, it is necessary to constantly grow new plants with the help of seeds. If a small, slow, slow growth rate is desired in a small aquarium, it is recommended to plant the plant in a flower pot that is buried in the ground. Then the growth will be noticeably slower, and the plants remain small for a long time. Large specimens of long-leaved Barclaya can be perfectly used as a solitaire, small for a period of time planted with a ladder.
Propagation by seeds is very productive. In the aquarium flowers are often formed under the water, they are rarely opened, but, in spite of this, they bring seeds (cleistogamia). After about seven weeks of ripening, the fruit rotates and discards the seeds. They germinate under strong light, in this case the percentage of germination is usually high. Young plants are transferred to an aquarium with a low water level in good light. Initially, they grow rapidly, but often after a few weeks there comes a period of suspension of growth. This heavy phase can be easily overcome by transplanting the plant. Barclaya longifolia generally tolerates transplantation well, and often "thanks" for it even faster growth. It can not be touched only during a period of rest. Already at the age of about one year the plant is able to bear fruit. A rare green form also perfectly succumbs to the aquarium, although it remains somewhat smaller in size.
Barclaya longifolia grows either sparse or dense populations in sunny and semi-dark areas in streams with fast currents, mainly with clear, soft, acidic water. The soil is sandy-clayey.