Common Name: Beckett's water trumpet

Synonyms and Other Names:

Identification: Perennial aquatic herb growing submersed under constant water levels, emerging with water recession. Leaves attached at the crown by sheathed petioles as long as or longer than the leaf. Leaves ovate to lanceolate, tapering at the tips and rounded at the bases. Leaf surfaces smooth, margins entire, commonly wavy. Submersed leaves 4 - 10 cm long, 1 - 4 cm wide. Upper surfaces pink to green to brown, often marbled in darker brown or patterned with prominent venation. Lower surfaces nearly green to brown and tinted with a glistening violet. Inflorescence enclosed within a spathe, a fleshy ornate bract. Immature spathes are sometimes present on submersed plants and appear as tightly rolled tubes. Mature spathes will unfold only when emersed from the water. Several features of mature spathes, specifically the color of the collar and the twist of the terminal limb, are used in species identification.

Size:

Native Range: Endemic to Sri Lanka (Jacobsen 1977; Jacobsen 1987; de Graaf & Arends 1986).

This map only depicts Great Lakes introductions. Click here for Great Lakes region collection information Click here for the national map

Ecology: Habitat: Rooted directly in limestone substrate or in the sand and silty sediment overlaying rocky streambeds in clear, fast-moving water of springs and spring-fed streams. U.S. sites are karstic systems receiving artesian groundwater that is high in clarity, rich in soluble carbonates and moderate in temperature (USGS 1999; USGS 2000).

Life History Characteristics: The ability of Cryptocoryne to selectively use bicarbonate under alkaline conditions (Cheng and Mansor 2000) may contribute to its successful colonization at karstic spring environments in Florida and Texas. Like many aroids, Cryptocoryne employ contractile roots to adjust plant level after heaving or flooding (Bown 1988). Tiny rootlets sent deep into the rock use root pressure to contract in length and pull the roots farther into the substrate. This adaptation firmly anchors plants in swift currents and likely accounts for the deep rooting in limestone substrate at Rainbow Springs, Florida. In San Marcos River, Texas, plants root deeply in sediment mounds resulting from streamside erosion. Reproduction in Cryptocoryne is primarily accomplished through vegetative structures. Rhizomes and runners (stolons ending in a new plantlet) provide for expansion of apparently well-suited populations in Texas and Florida. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly in dispersal, basal shoots, shortened "bulbil-like" runners, are produced in Florida. Small (< 5mm) and abundant (up to 8-20 per individual) the shoots are loosely associated with the mother plant and readily break away. Promptly forming an initial root and primary leaf, basal shoots are armed and ready to establish as new plants. At Rainbow Springs basal shoots were most abundant in springtime. In cultivated transplants they provide for the flush of new season growth. Disturbances such as wading will dislodge basal shoots. The shoots immediately sink; conversely, dislodged rhizomes usually float to the water surface. Because of their large abundance and small size, basal shoots are difficult to contain and can be carried downstream with bottom currents. They should be more effective than rhizome fragments as propagules for downstream spread and probably occur in Texas as they do in Florida.

Means of Introduction: Escape from cultivation or dumping of aquariums has been proposed (Rosen 2000; Jacono 2002). Cryptocoryne are highly sought-after as decorative plants for tropical aquariums. Hardy and vigorous, C. beckettii is one of the easiest species to cultivate (Miller 1998; Rataj and Horeman 1977).

Great Lakes Impacts:

Remarks: * Special thanks to David Lemke (The Southwest Tezas State University, Dept. of Biology Herbarium) for use of his photo of Cryptocoryne in the upper San Marcos River, TX.

References (click for full reference list)

Other Resources:
USGS/NAS Technical Species Profile

Author: Jacono, C.C.

Contributing Agencies:

Revision Date: 8/1/2003

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.