# Madagascar Laceleaf Seed Propagation!



## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

I am extremely proud of myself. My aponogeton madagascariensis has not only produced viable seeds but they have also germinated! What little information I could find on this plant suggests that a multiple year is dormancy necessary for the seeds to germinate. This does not seem to be the case. 

The attached photo show the first laceleaf plantlet that I have spotted but I suspect others that look like crypts will in fact also turn out to be laceleaves. The other photo is of some of the seeds which have germinated while still attached to the flower stalk. This has not happened for me before and these flowers are probably at least the 10th flower this plant has put out. 

I hope someone can learn from this and not be dissuaded by talk about 4+ years of dormancy as I was. Any questions on your mind, ask away.


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## bluekrissyspikes (Apr 16, 2009)

cute baby plants. have you tried drying out any of the seeds?


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

That in itself is a great accomplishment as not many people can grow Aponogeton madagascariensis let alone propagate it. 
Congratulations!


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## Cory (May 2, 2008)

I second what Calmer said. I was just reading about it in TFH and the author of the article was saying how they had been difficult to keep alive more than a year or two in captivity and only the rare few had come close to propagating them. Great work indeed.


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## KnaveTO (May 13, 2007)

Congratulations on a true accomplishment!


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

JamesG said:


> I hope someone can learn from this and not be dissuaded by talk about 4+ years of dormancy as I was. Any questions on your mind, ask away.


Thsi is a really impressive accomplishment! Have other Aponogetons bloomed for you?

Can you tell us the conditions that resulted in your success? E.g. water composition and depth, substrate, lighting? What else is in the tank?

One year I bought a number of Aponogeton bulbs of mixed species in the spring, and put them outside in a shallow bucket when the weather warmed up. They flourished wonderfully for more than a month, and then one night the raccoons discovered them. They fished them out, tore off the leaves, bit into the bulbs and tossed everything across the patio. When I got home from work all that was left was some dehydrated scraps and a lot of raccoon tracks!


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## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

bae said:


> Thsi is a really impressive accomplishment! Have other Aponogetons bloomed for you?
> 
> Can you tell us the conditions that resulted in your success? E.g. water composition and depth, substrate, lighting? What else is in the tank?
> 
> One year I bought a number of Aponogeton bulbs of mixed species in the spring, and put them outside in a shallow bucket when the weather warmed up. They flourished wonderfully for more than a month, and then one night the raccoons discovered them. They fished them out, tore off the leaves, bit into the bulbs and tossed everything across the patio. When I got home from work all that was left was some dehydrated scraps and a lot of raccoon tracks!


Sorry to hear about your inquisitive raccoons.

I do not have exact specs for the water but it is Aurora municipal tap water which I believe is pumped up along Yonge street from Toronto so it may have lost some mineral content along the way. My tank is a 210 gallon, which I do believe is a much better simulation of real life due to the stability of conditions in that volume of water. Substrate is a mix of eco complete and canadian sheild gravel that I collected in Muskoka. Lighting is a mix of Coralife T-5 and a Coralife Compact Fluorescent 4x65W Fixture. I also have two LED light bars for spot lighting in the foreground.

Tank occupants are 5 angels, a bunch of apistos of various species, rasboras and some singles from old smaller tanks. 
I have at least 20 different species (some may be varietals) of plants in the tank. Mostly crypts, anubias, amazon swords.

The hardscape is also a variety of driftwood I collected from my cottage. Not sure what different species are in there but I am pretty sure none of it is from conifers.

I will post up some photos of my tank once I remove the sponge filters sitting right at the front that I am seeding for another tank. It will be a continuation of my 210 gallon journal. This is a whole new scape with tons of found wood.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

You are alive James! Nice to hear from you.

Interesting regarding the aponogeton, how long have you had the plant in the tank?


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## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

Hi Chris, I am alive and well in Aurora now. I have had the plant for a year and a half. 

I will post up photos of the new tank setup soon. It is not as crazy as the condo fishroom but additional photos of my woodshop will make up for it in awe-factor


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Wow, great work! I might have missed it, but did you pollenate it yourself? Other apons blooming at the same time?

Once again, great feat! Will be neat to see all those little laceleafs growing out.


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## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

ameekplec. said:


> Wow, great work! I might have missed it, but did you pollenate it yourself? Other apons blooming at the same time?
> 
> Once again, great feat! Will be neat to see all those little laceleafs growing out.


I did not do anything to actively pollinate the plant. The odd insect does get in the house but I havent seen any in the tank. No other aponogetons with flowers in the tank.

I am excited to see how they end up looking. From what I read and what people here are saying, Tropica produces the ones they sell using tissue propogation (ie their plants are perfect clones). Mine could end up being quite different as they were produced from sexual reproduction.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

If there aren't any other plants to pollinate it, it pollinated itself though. In that sense, would it not have the same genes?


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## Calmer (Mar 9, 2008)

The second picture at the first of this thread shows that the plantlets are daughter plants that have grown on the flower stem. Echinodorus does this as well. The plantlets are exact clones of the parent plant. The plantlets don't seem to have come from seeds at all.


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## JamesG (Feb 27, 2007)

@ Chris - the new plants can have a different genetic makeup due to allelic segregation (look it up, pretty cool)

@ Calmer - The plantlets in the flower stalk certainly did grow from seeds that did not release. I have been watching them to see what happens. Also, I have watched the other small plants in the wood and substrate. Many still have a lot of the seed showing below the two newly forming leaves.


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## Chris S (Dec 19, 2007)

Interesting...


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Many plants can self-pollenate. I'd think that would make them somewhat genetically different from the mother plant (seeing that even self-pollenation is sexual reproduction. . .jeez, good thing humans can't do that....), but I can't remember completely.

Remember to take lots of pictures along the way. It's always neat to see seed to fully grown out plant, especailly when we usually don't get to see these kinds of plants develop from seed.


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## Julian (Jun 29, 2008)

thats pretty cool james, good job there.


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