Ammannia praetermissa

This splendidly red-coloured Ammannia has long been in the trade as an aquarium plant and is imported from nurseries in the tropics. It has so far been known as Nesaea sp. (e.g. in Kasselmann 2010¹) or N. sp. 'Red Leaved' (APC Plant Finder, www.aquaticplantcentral.com²) and sometimes also comes onto the market as “Nesaea crassicaulis”. In the aquarium hobby, however, this attractive stem plant is not very widespread, probably because it is very demanding (see “Culture”).

According to Kasselmann (2012)³ there is so far no information about the natural distribution of this plant; it is known only from cultivation. However, the APC Plant Finder² gives West Africa as its origin.

Christel Kasselmann found that the plant is most similar in its floral characteristics to the species Nesaea crassicaulis (meanwhile Ammannia crassicaulis), but nevertheless shows clear differences and, on the other hand, does not correspond to any other scientifically described species either. Kasselmann therefore described the plant in 2012 as a new species with the name Nesaea praetermissa.³. In 2013 the same author transferred the species name to the genus Ammannia⁴, in line with the new findings⁵ on the relationships between Ammannia, Nesaea and Hionanthera.

(For more, see “Culture”)