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Bucephalandra: reduction in varieties cultivated?

Onoma1

Member
Joined
12 Aug 2018
Messages
570
Location
West Yorkshire
Looking through old threads on the forum and looking at some of the active (and now seemingly inactive sites dedicated to this plant) I was struck by two things:

I have the impression that we now have far fewer varieties available in the UK/ EU than we did in the past. On reading Vasteq's post and then blog it seems that tens of varieties were available.

http://bucephalandraplants.blogspot.com/2014/01/english-bucephalandra-magical-plants.html?m=1

I also noted that far more seem to be available outside the UK - particularly in the US with 100s of varieties available.

I wondered if anyone could spread any light on this? I noted that someone mentioned Tropica giving up on them.
 
Tropica, dennerle, aquafleur all seem to grow the same types, wavy green/leaf, "red", thea, biblis etc. Probably because these are the faster growing ones, that tend not to melt?
Maybe the nurseries make more money from faster growing, more popular plants, than something that is considered more niche?

A lot more types are available in the eu, especially germany and poland, maybe because they use buce as centrepiece plants in shrimp tanks
 
I am not convinced that many have even been described. Perhaps a marketing ploy?

I was initially sceptical as well, however, so many other sources co-oberate this view. Denis Wong dedicates a section of his website to their care and describes types we can't find. His suppler has loads available on his website. Vasteq and people on his thread mention others https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/bucephalandra-all-in-one.26970/
The photos and videos show different images...
 
I am not convinced that many have even been described. Perhaps a marketing ploy?

I wonder this as well. I have more of a marine background so know how well they market their corals with exactly the same species being given numerous names simply because people keep them under differing conditions. I'd wonder if at least some of these different buce species are simply because they were grown in differing ways and if they would convert to look the same in our tanks.
 
noted that far more seem to be available outside the UK - particularly in the US with 100s of varieties available.
I wondered if anyone could spread any light on this? I noted that someone mentioned Tropica giving up on them.

Perhaps the fall in the value of the £ might have something to do with it. They seemed expensive in the UK for a very slow growing plant when I bought mine years ago. I bet the rarer varieties are extortionate.
 
They are not allowed to send live plants to the UK. I have tried dozens of suppliers, and this is usually what they say.
 
They are not allowed to send live plants to the UK. I have tried dozens of suppliers, and this is usually what they say.

They can send to the UK but it involves time,money and a lot of paperwork getting them inspected once they come into the country if they're from outside Europe.
 
Very few species are cultivated,most are collected pretty unsustainably from the wild and people are now more aware of the environmental impact of this.

I worried that this may be the case. I saw a video on youtube about a Buce "farm" but then read comments that this was really just a holding place for Buce stripped from the environment.

Would it be worthwhile creating a list of people who already cultivate some of the rarer species in the UK and are willing to ocassionally sell/share? I keep a small flock of endangered poultry and we have a similar list of other breeders/ owners.
 
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