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Old 02-02-2006, 12:48 AM posted to rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants
Bill
 
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Default Red tinted leaves?

"Dave@AquaFlora" Spaketh Thusly:

Hey I had a nice bright green amazon sword that I planted once. Then it
seemed that the green leaves were not the emersed color. All the new leaves
that sprouted were a deep burgundy red and they grew HUGE like 3 feet high.
I realized that this wasn't a green sword but a Red Rubin Sword. That's what
your's might be. Also, I have a forest of crypts that have green leaves when
they are small and new and turn a reddish brown when they grow older. Pretty
standard for most of the crypts I have.

Chlorophyll gives plants their green color. The reddish color on plants not
typically red, from what I understand, is caused from the lack of nitrates.
Chloropasts need nitrogen for their green pigment. With higher light the
plants will grow quickly and have much less time to create more chlorophyll.

Thanks for this info, Dave!
I've wondered for years why the crypts in my low light and high light tanks
were so different. They're all from the same plant I got many years ago and
have divided several times. The ones in the low light tank grow vertically
with 3-4" stems and green leaves with a reddish stripe down the center, while
the same plant in the other tank is a mottled reddish-brown/green and grows
horizontally, never more than two inches above the substrate. If I hadn't
divided and planted them myself, I wouldn't believe they were the same plant.

--
Bill H. [my "reply to" address is real]
www.necka.net
Molon Labe!