Any experiences with Homalomena spp.?

[Simon Cole]

I noticed that there are quite a few Homalomena species that are rheophytic (grow in fast water), as noted: <here>, <here> and <here>.
The red variety <photographed by Vasteq> a few years ago seems to be H. Rubescens or H. Humilis. I am not sure? I have not found evidence that either are rheophytes.
The red ones kept in planted aquariums usually look a bit like this:



Has anybody grown this plant before?
Do they cope well with being permanently submerged?
Presumably carbon dioxide enrichment is required?

I'm also wondering what other members think about how they look aesthetically? Dragon-blood red.

 

[Oldguy]

how they look aesthetically? Dragon-blood red.

I like the look.
No experience with them in water or as a house plant.
Quick internet search: sold as large expensive house plants for collectors of 'rare' plants.
Possible difficulty could be identification with some taking to the life aquatic and others not.
Thanks for the posting.

 

[whitecloud]

Hi Simon, How did you get on with this? I took a cutting of my homalomena rubescens (houseplant) and let that root in a shallow aquarium, low energy aquarium. In several months, it sprouted a daughter plantlet under water. I severed and transferred the daughter plant to my high tech aquarium and will follow up with results.

 

[Fishfur]

I’ve little experience but twice I have tried to transition cuttings of Homalomena sp. Sedakau South.

All its emersed leaves fell off within a couple of days leaving a bare stem that I let float. One pair of floating stems appeared to be growing a few new shoots but at a glacially slow pace. Unfortunately the tank had a bad leak & they didn’t survive the ensuing scramble to clean up & replace the tank.

The second lot also dropped all the emersed leaves within a few days but then the remaining stems rotted away. I tried trimming them back quite severely but the rot was too far ahead of me.

Haven’t tried since but I want to try some cuttings again in one of my emersed boxes to see if they will transition better after being given enough time to grow robust roots.

I have yet to find a botanical ID for Sedakau South - may well be undescribed.

 

[Simon Cole]

Homalomena Rubescens is a somewhat intiguing plant. At some point in time it's native habitat was either modified, destroyed, or it went extinct from there. It is not impossible to imagine why during ancient periods of famine and disease, it became so valuable as a medicinal plant that it was completely depopulated from the wild. It became adventive through cultivation and has since naturalised across a wide geographical area. Naturalised populations are rather unusual (niche) but tend towards moist conditions. It does respond better to regular flushed irrigation, which in my mind leaves subtle possibility that it was once rheophytic. The red leaves also indicate adaptaion to shading, so it likely evolved underneath the tree canopy. Division submerged is an indicator that it evolved somewhere regularily flooded (other plants go leggy, flower or enter senescense); bioactive compounds giving us another glimpse of it's competitive ancestry. It will be great to hear how you get on @whitecloud. I know many people have done really well with it in high tech.

Assume that it is an aromatic with the potential to alter water chemistry, but equally it's antimicrobial properties could benefit certain livestock. Not all plants might switch on the right genes to adapt to submersion - so purchasing one that comes from an established planted tank seems to be the best way to go. I might buy the houseplant and replicate your results. I have to do the same for a few other plants too and am on a waiting list for it. You don't know how easy you have it across the pond

 

[Nont]

The plant in your picture isn’t H. rubescens but maybe H. humilis or other species. I went to Homalomena possibly truncata habitats about a year ago and they usually grow terrestrially or near water. The other species in the habitat includes Lasia spinosa, Colocasia esculenta, Schismatoglottis sp., Amydrium medium grow on trees, Hypnaceae (?) mosses, Musa acuminata, Florscopa scandens(?) and another Schismatoglottis that is possibly new undescribed species according to botanist.

For the Rheophytes, I would recommend you to read “Rheophytes of the World by Van Steenis” book. Rheophytes of the World: Supplement, Borneo and its disproportionately large rheophytic aroid flora. also Rheophyte Facebook group.

 

[Rhelton Luiz De Carvalho]

If you’re thinking of trying it, just be patient. It’s more like a slow-burn background presence than a fast-growing feature