Plant ID help: Crypts and "Crypts"

[Animedays]

The short story of a long story is I ordered some common/uncommon but not exactly rare crypts that I was having trouble finding for months.

The place I ordered from, basically did like a drop ship on me, from a place I've ordered from directly before, so I was surprised to see my entire package of 100% crypts was completely unlabeled. They've never sent me unlabeled plants except a few very obvious ones. Unlabeled crypts are a nightmare to figure out, as it is, we take retailer's and distributors words thar we are getting what we are getting, just as much as they take the nursery's.

What I ordered:
2 Cilitia
2 Moehlmannii
2 Cordata var cordata Cryptocoryne Blassii Melon
2 Haerteliana Affinis
3 Wendtii Copper

Video of the plants in case pictures aren't enough:

The problem is, I have no way to verify what I got even for the sake of illusion. I also suspect, I did not get exactly what i ordered by at least half.

I know that for sure the only way to know is to grow them emersed, but i want them submerged in my tank. Thats why best guesses are what I'm hoping for here.

I think i got after having some time to sit on it and look, for sure, is 2 Ciliata (Moehlmannii is still a contender, I won't know til it settles in the tank). I think the red ones are aponogeton crispus red since they have bulbs and leaves are wavy and textured, those confused me and still do. Barclaya longifolia is another suspect. Any help in identification, even best guesses, or basically confirming that these can in no way be what i ordered aside from the 2 Ciliata for sure, and very possibly 3 copper wendtii in the mixed pots of unknowns? I'm not too upset about the copper, i just wanted the color variation as i have red and bronze for sure (as sure as i can get according to their pot inserts 🤣).

Thank you.

 

[G H Nelson]

Hi
Cryptocoryne are very difficult to identify!
Below looks like Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia

The bulbs look like Aponogeton Crispus Red.
Our resident plant experts maybe able to help.

 

[Animedays]

Hi
Cryptocoryne are very difficult to identify!
Below looks like Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia
View attachment 167439
The bulbs look like Aponogeton Crispus Red.
Our resident plant experts maybe able to help.

Thank you. I at least feel better about the aponogetons. I might yank them as they are in a crypt only tank (well crypt only in the substrate) but it does look like a beautiful plant.

I understand that the only way for mento be even remotely close to sure is to grow them all emersed, but I'm debating disputing the charges on this order as I didn't get what I ordered. The seller basically told me that he expects buyers to be knowledgeable enough to identify the plants they ordered, which is an unacceptable response in general but even more so with crypts.

There are many creatures in this world where we must take on face value that we got what we ordered, because you can never know for sure that the plant or animal is genuine until much time as passed. Geophagus are a fish that often have the same issues, where juveniles are very difficult to tell apart between species. Buyers must take at face value they are getting what they are getting, and it would be horrible if the seller sent them unlabeled esp if they are going in different tanks. It would be even worse if they ordered geos and got african Peacock cichlid juvies...

So again thanks for the response. Aponogeton ls weren't even ordered.

 

[Conort2]

The seller basically told me that he expects buyers to be knowledgeable enough to identify the plants they ordered

I’d expect the seller to be more knowledgeable, especially as you’ve got aponogetons there which you definitely did not order.

 

[John q]

The seller basically told me that he expects buyers to be knowledgeable enough to identify the plants they ordered, which is an unacceptable response in general but even more so with crypts.

In an ideal world we would assume the sellers know their onions, be it plants or fish. In reality unless you're buying from somebody that is extremely knowledgeable and shares our passion in these subjects ~ work on the assumption they know very little.

Your regular vendor will be clueless to the different sp of any particular plant, their knowledge will begin and end with the tag that hopefully accompanies said plant. When it comes to identifying fish they are even worse: I was once given 2 Anomalochromis thomasi, when I'd asked for key hole cichlids! A mistake that I'm now quite happy with.

There are some good, knowledgeable vendors out there, but they are few and far between, if you happen to find one be sure to sing their praises and let the rest of us know.

 

[Animedays]

In an ideal world we would assume the sellers know their onions, be it plants or fish. In reality unless you're buying from somebody that is extremely knowledgeable and shares our passion in these subjects ~ work on the assumption they know very little.

Your regular vendor will be clueless to the different sp of any particular plant, their knowledge will begin and end with the tag that hopefully accompanies said plant. When it comes to identifying fish they are even worse: I was once given 2 Anomalochromis thomasi, when I'd asked for key hole cichlids! A mistake that I'm now quite happy with.

There are some good, knowledgeable vendors out there, but they are few and far between, if you happen to find one be sure to sing their praises and let the rest of us know.

Agreed, but i take retailers words rhat they are selling what they believe is genuine, that their distributor also is, and the farms know what they are growing. There's a ton of room for mistakes, I give them thar much breadth. Having worked in LFS, I can't tell you how many times Ive called distributors and chewed them out for sending me wrong stuff (1000x worse if its not legal like getting african clawed frogs and not dwarf frogs). In this case i had been looking for Ciliata for almost a year now, and affinis and Moehlmannii arent super common although not rare either.

However, unlabeled crypts bought a la carte is unacceptable. Sadly these ended up being drop shipped or something. I ordered from the retailer, and my order was shipped from a wholesaler who also has a public facing store that ive bought from before, and bought wholesale from like 15 years ago when i worked LFS.

The retailer however, is responsible for at least being able to verfiy i got what i ordered, which i did not.

 

[BigD]

Hi
Cryptocoryne are very difficult to identify!
Below looks like Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia
View attachment 167439
The bulbs look like Aponogeton Crispus Red.
Our resident plant experts maybe able to help.

pontederfolia and moehlmannii are similar looking plants. This one could well be moehlmannii.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

pontederfolia and moehlmannii are similar looking plants. This one could well be moehlmannii.

Moehlmannii arent super common although not rare either

I think C. moehlmannii may have been synomised with C. pontederiifolia. @Alex Papp told me (in a PM), and I think the details are in one of @Christel's books?

I <"grow one, or the other">, (so both now officially C. pontederiifolia), but I don't know where it came from, or how it was labelled originally. I've owned it for a long time, so definitely "difficult to kill"

cheers Darrel

 

[Animedays]

From my limited research, Pontederiifolia and Moehlmannii are identified by stem color, but not sure if that's not exactly the best way? Regardless, since everyone is saying pontederiifolia Ive just been saying Moehlmannii for the sake of communication. Even if it wasn't Moehlmannii and ended up being pontederiifolia, they are close enough in price point i wouldn't have cared, and really i just wanted to have both in the tank "just because". More pontederiifolia isn't a deal breaker yet. 😍

Ask me in a year when the 10 gallon is overgrown with oversized crypts i shouldn't have put in it. However wouldn't make a difference in outcome of it was Moehlmannii either.

Thanks.

 

[Christel]

For many years the color of the limbs was a good characteristic to distinguish C. pontederiifolia from C. moehlmannii. However, all transitions have now been found in one location. Therefore I list C. moehlmannii (later described) in my book as a synonym of C. pontederiifolia. C. "moehlmannii" has green leaves under water, C. pontederiifolia sometimes also brownish leaves, but this is not a good scienfic distinguishing feature. Cheers Christel