by Jan D. Bastmeijer ~ 2016
Suwidji Wongso & Co.
 
These pages are on the cultivation and taxonomy of plants of the genus Cryptocoryne & Lagenandra (Araceae)
 
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Cryptocoryne bullosa Engler

Cryptocoryne bullosa is described a long time ago by Engler (Engler, 1879). Long time it remained a secret if this plant would be found again. Due to the efforts of Henry Kee Ong from Kuching (Sarawak) and Yeok Ong (Singapore) in the 70s, we know a lot about this plant. But it is not an easy to grow plant.

Click on the picture to get the full image (ca. 50 kB)

Cryptocoryne bullosa from the Sugai river. Note the almost black leaves and the short spathe with a prominent collar.
coll.: Kettner
photo Kettner
C. bullosa growing in the Sungei (river) Sibiak. 
coll.: Jacobsen 78-7
photo Jacobsen
Close up in the Sungei Sibiak. The water is very shallow in the dry season coll.: Jacobsen 78-7
photo Jacobsen
C. bullosa from Sungei Sibiak after arrival in the Netherlands.
coll.: Jacobsen 78-7
       
Another plant from Sungei Sibiak
coll.: Jacobsen 78-7
photo Jacobsen

In December 1999, Yuji Sasaki collected C. bullosa in the Sungai Sibiak (the same location as Jacobsen 78-3 and Bogner 1357). No infloresenses were found.
photo Sasaki
A view in the Sungai Sibiak, where C. bullosa is found.
photo Sasaki

A b/w picture of Sadilek of C. bullosa (Sadilek 68). Probably the picture regards C. keei.
photo Sadilek
       
See the full picture (de Wit 1990) for the opened spathes. These spathes were collected around 1970 by Henry Ong.
drawing Ike Zewald & Juliet Williamson
drawing in Engler (1882) from the Beccari collections in 1876. Note the oblique position of the limb (not opened).
n Jacobsen (1985) is this picture of C. bullosa. The spathe is viewed in front.
drawing Marianne Krøjgaard
The distribution of C. bullosa in Sarawak is restricted to a small area.
       

Cryptocoryne bullosa is a rare plant. Though it is occasionally collected, I do not know of any success in cultivating this plant. A couple of reports actually are on C. affinis. The form of the leaves of these plants from Kelantan (W. Malaysia) are rather close to C. bullosa (Sadilek 1968, van der Vlugt 1969, 1970). Some import firms and retailers like to sell their (common) plants as a novelty! The more recent imported C. keei and C. hudoroi are much more easy to cultivate. But these are also very difficult to flower, so you probably never will know what you are cultivating. C. bullosa has a (dark) green upper side of the leaves without (in cultivation) brown spots.  See for the differences in the leaves the pages on C. keei and C. hudoroi for more details.
The spathe of C. bullosa is very short, ca 4 cm, with a red limb and a very dark collar.

Updated February 2000

Literature.

  • Arends, J.C., Bastmeijer, J.D. & Jacobsen, N., 1982. Chromosome numbers and taxonomy in Cryptocoryne (Araceae).II. Nord.J.Bot. 2 : 453-463.
  • Beccari, O., 1882. Aracee della Malesia e della Papuasia raccolte da O.Beccari..Malesia 1 : 296-300, Plate 27-28. (Document service)
  • Bogner, J., 1989. Cryptocoryne hudoroi Bogner et Jacobsen. Aqua-Planta 1-89 : 12-16.
  • Brown, N.E., 1880. On some new Aroideae. J.Linn.Soc.XVIII : 242-245, plate IV.
  • Ehrenberg, H. & J.Bogner, 1992. Cryptocoryne keei N.Jacobsen. Aqua-Planta 4-92 : 135-138.
  • Engler, A., 1879. Cryptocoryne Fischer. Bull.Soc.Tosc.Ortic. 4 : 301-302. (Document service)
  • Engler, A., 1920. (Cryptocoryne in:) Das Pflanzenreich IV.23.F. Araceae - Aroideae : 232-249, Leipzig. (Document service)
  • Horst, K., 1982. Sind die Cryptocorynen aus Borneo für Aquarien geeignet ? III. Aqua-Planta 1-82 : 3-5.
  • Horst, K., 1986. Pflanzen im Aquarium. Ulmer, Stuttgart.
  • Jacobsen, N., 1977. Chromosome numbers and taxonomy in Cryptocoryne (Araceae). Bot.Notiser 130 : 71-87.
  • Jacobsen, N., 1982. Cryptocoryne from Borneo. Meded. WAP 3 : 61-76.
  • Jacobsen, N., 1982. Cryptocorynen, Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart.
  • Jacobsen, N., 1984. Cryptocoryne from Borneo – postscript. Meded. WAP 5 : 38-43.
  • Jacobsen, N., 1985. The Cryptocoryne (Araceae) of Borneo. Nord.J.Bot. 5 : 31-50.
  • Jacobsen, N., 1986. Deterioration of the habitats of the Cryptocoryne species. Symp.Bedreiging van het aquatisch milieu, Ludwigia, Wageningen : 33.
  • Kettner, C., 1985. Standortbeschreibung von Cryptocoryne bullosa. Aqua-Planta 1-85 : 14.
  • Kettner, C., 1997. Cryptocorynen in Borneo. Aqua-Planta 22(3): 100-104.
  • Mansor, M., E.Tan & H.Baharuddin, 1991. A "Hidden Club" in Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia. Malayan Naturalist 45(1/2) : 8.
  • Merrill, E.D., 1921.A Bibliographic Enumeration of Bornean Plants. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society : 106-109.
  • Möhlmann, F., 1985. Nicht alles ist Cryptocoryne bullosa was gebuckelte Blätter hat. Aqua-Planta 1-85 : 12-14.
  • Möhlmann, F., 1987. Cryptocoryne hudoroi Bogner et Jacobsen. Das Aquarium 219 : 479-480.
  • Mühlberg, H., 1980. Das grosse Buch der Wasserpflanzen. Dausien, Hanau.
  • Paffrath, K., 1984. Cryptocoryne bullosa ist schön, aber schwierig. DATZ 8 : 316-318.
  • Rataj, K., 1975. Revision of the genus Cryptocoryne Fischer. Studie CSAV, c.3.Praha.
  • Rataj, K. & Horeman, T.J., 1977. Aquarium Plants. TFH Publ, USA.
  • Ridley, H.N., 1905. The Aroids of Borneo. J.Str.Br.Roy.As.Soc. 44 : 169-171.
  • Roe, C.D., 1967. A manual of aquarium plants. Shirley aquatics Ltd.
  • Sadilek, V., 1968. Neue Cryptocorynen IV : Cryptocoryne bullosa Becc. ex Engler. DATZ 21 : 274-277.
  • Sadilek, V., 1974. Problemen bij de cultuur van Cryptocorynen. Het Aquarium 45(*) : 61-63.
  • Sadilek, V., 1981. Sind die malayischen Cryptocorynen Problempflanzen ? Aqua-Planta 3-81 : 76-78.
  • Schöpfel, H., 1977. Cryptocoryne affinis N.E.Br.ex Hooker f. und Bemerkungen zur systematischen Darstellung von Cryptocoryne haerteliana und C.sp."pseudobullosa". Info ZAG Wasserpflanzen 4-1977 : 3-5.
  • Schulze, J., 1971.Cryptocorynen aus Sarawak I-IV. DATZ 24 : 230-233, 267-270, 303-306.
  • Vlugt, P.J.van der, 1969. Bullosa of 'pseudo-bullosa' ? Het Aquarium 40(2) : 37-40.
  • Vlugt, P.J.van der, 1970. Cryptocoryne bullosa. Het Aquarium 41(4) : 86-88.
  • Wit, H.C.D.de, 1959. Het genus Cryptocoryne 10. Het Aquarium 30(6) : 134-137.
  • Wit, H.C.D.de, 1990. Aquarienpflanzen, 2. Auflage. Ulmer, Stuttgart. ISBN 3-8001-7185-6.

 
 
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