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The scientific background to the "Leaf Colour Chart"

Hi all,
Hopefully we miss tropical sunlight over there :eek: Too big for 240 liters tank.
That is <"pretty impressive">, and shows the plasticity in growth form that Amazon Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum) can exhibit.

That is one of the real advantages of L. laevigatum for the <"Duckweed Index">, it has the potential to get very large, very quickly, but isn't a <"turned up to eleven"> plant like Eichornia crassipes (or, to some degree, Pistia stratiotes).

One reason that <"it can grow quickly"> is that Limnobium laevigatum has leaves which are structured a bit like bubble wrap, basically very little plant material surrounding an air filled space, with the water providing most of the structural support.

TS section through a Frogbit leaf, showing the structure of the large, spongy, aerenchyma cells.

limnobium_aerenchyma-jpg.43540


Lemna minor also gets <"bigger with more nutrients">, but not as dramatically, it mainly shows an <"increase in vegetative propagation">.

When L. laevigatum is running on <"petrol fumes">, that is ,
It forms a perfect small plant, often with leaves only pound / euro coin sized, add then just add in more of everything? And you get @Cédric's plant.

This gives you a bit of an idea, you can see there wasn't really enough light & / or nutrients for the Pistia, and the water was also a bit soft for the Lemna minor (it is slightly yellow), but L. laevigatum (& Salvinia auriculata) were fine, just small. This is a 60 x 30 cm tank with 2 x 24W T5 lights and water at about 120 microS, so not many ions of any description.

Small_Limnobium.png


cheers Darrel
 
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That is one of the real advantages of L. laevigatum for the <"Duckweed Index">, it has the potential to very large, very quickly, but isn't a <"turned up to eleven"> plant like Eichornia crassipes (or, to some degree, Pistia stratiotes).
Hi Darrel,
I'm wondering what "turned up to eleven plant" means !??! I'm sure it's pretty simple to understand but I'm lost with the translation and the links didn't help (obvious I don't speak english very well). May you please explain in few words ?
 
Hi all,
Hi Darrel,
I'm wondering what "turned up to eleven plant" means !??! I'm sure it's pretty simple to understand but I'm lost with the translation and the links didn't help (obvious I don't speak english very well). May you please explain in few words ?
Apologies, it just means a plant that needs a lot of everything, light, heat, nutrients etc.

lt is from the <"film "Spinal Tap">, where one of the characters had an amplifier that goes up to eleven, and that makes it louder than all the other amplifiers, because they only go up to ten.

Cheers Darrel
 
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lt is from the film "Spinal Tap", where one of the characters had an amplifier that goes up to eleven, and that makes it louder than all the other amplifiers, because they only go up to ten.
Hahaha....Of course....Spinal tape. I know that film very well and I see the scene you are talking about...So absurd...so hilarous...I can't forget the elves dancing around the poorly sized model of the dolmen on the stage. I didn't realize for a second that you were referring to that film. Very clear now. Thanks a lot.
 
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