I'm adding my plants to the database Jim set up, and just wanted to confirm that what we have been calling Hemianthus micranthemoides is in fact Hemianthus glomeratus?
Is all H. micranthemoides really H. glomeratus, or are there two different plants circulating, which are not always labeled accurately? In other words, should I assume that anything previously considered H. micranthemoides (whether it came from GWAPA or elsewhere) is definitely H. glomeratus?
Not trying to be a pain in the butt, just want to be as accurate as possible.
All Hemianthus micranthemoides in the hobby is actually Hemianthus glomeratus. HM is a distinct species, but it has not been seen in the wild or otherwise for almost half a century. It's possible that it could still exist somewhere on the eastern seaboard, but until that happens and it's introduced to the hobby, you can consider anything you previously called HM, actually being HG.
Cavan can do a better just filling in the specifics...
Real Hemianthus micranthemoides was last collected on September 13th, 1941. Despite much searching, it has never been seen since. All the plants in the hobby are really H. glomeratus. There is also a plant with only two leaves per node that is sometimes confused with the plant confused with H. micranthemoides (H. glomeratus, with 3-4 leaves per node submersed). That's known as 'two-leaf' or 'Amano pearl grass'; it really looks like it's an undescribed species from the Caribbean.
That's known as 'two-leaf' or 'Amano pearl grass'; it really looks like it's an undescribed species from the Caribbean.
