Last October, I took a friend to the river in Talat, eastern Thailand, where I have been going collecting and photographing for several years. As usual, I got off the road, put my luggage under the bridge to avoid the sun, and was exploring the area when I spotted an unfamiliar aquatic plant in a corner under the bridge! I thought it might be because there are a lot of Barkleya longifolia growing wild around here, but the texture of the leaves seems to be different. When I dug up one plant, it was clear that it was not Bulkraya but Cryptocoryne. Even Cryptocoryne can be commonly seen around here if it is Balansae. However, this Cryptocoryne is a round leaf type. Round-leaved Cryptocoryne cordata is commonly seen in southern Thailand on the Malay Peninsula, but here in Indochina Peninsula, round-leaved Cryptocoryne is extremely rare. There are Cryptocoryne in various places, but they are all of the narrow-leaved type. A few years ago, I found a round-leaved type in the blackwater area of ​​Koh Kong in Cambodia, which is farther east than Talat, but this is my first time in Thailand.

Only a few plants were growing wild under the bridge. In this case, there must be other plants growing wild upstream or downstream of the same river. So, I asked my buddy Ton to look for other fish while he was collecting fish, and soon he reported that he had found a large colony downstream! This river is a small stream that flows through the mountains, and I've been passing through it for about three years, but I'm embarrassed to say that I never noticed the existence of Cryptocoryne. Since there is no reason for it to suddenly appear, it must have been growing naturally for some time. I was so focused on fish and other creatures that I didn't notice the aquatic plants under my feet at all.

At the time of this discovery, it was still the end of the rainy season, the water level was high, and it was evening and the light was poor, so I gave up on taking photos. If I was going to take pictures anyway, I decided to take pictures of the flowers in bloom during the dry season when the water level had dropped. I can come here again in the new year. So, I visited the same place again in February of the new year, which is the dry season in Thailand. Looking at the river, the water level has fallen sufficiently. Considering this situation, I thought that the area around the Cryptocoryne colony would be in full bloom, so I excitedly took my camera with me, but to my surprise, I could see some beautiful floating leaves, but no flowers at all. Usually, many species of Cryptocoryne bloom when the water level drops. Many species are difficult to identify without seeing the flowers, so I try to photograph Cryptocoryne when the water level is low. However, the situation with Cryptocoryne here is a little different. No matter how much I looked, I couldn't find any flowers. As I was doing this, Ton finally found a single flower blooming at the underwater leaf spot and came over to me. The appearance of the yellow flowers is very similar to the type found in Koh Kong, Cambodia. Since I did not cut the flower and observe the stamens and pistils, I am not sure what type it is, but it is definitely a type close to cordata. After this, I visited the same spot again in May, but as expected, there were no flowers to be seen. Looks like I'll have to come back to observe it in a different season. When observing living things, it is a typical pattern that you have to look not only at the same season but also at different seasons.

At this location, it seemed that the shapes and colors of the plants in the small colony under the bridge where Cryptocoryne was first discovered were slightly different from those in the large colony in the downstream area. The plants in the small colony under the bridge are small and slightly elongated, and the leaves have a tiger pattern. On the other hand, the plants in the large communities in the downstream area have long and slender underwater leaves, but they are quite large. The floating leaves are round and have a bumpy texture. It is known that plants can change their appearance greatly depending on the environment in which they grow, but to the untrained eye, it is difficult to believe that they are the same species. In fact, it is not uncommon for multiple species to grow in the same river in places such as Borneo. For these reasons, it appears that further observation of Cryptocoryne at this location is necessary. I brought back some stocks from a large colony and tried growing them, but they were stronger and easier to grow than other cryptocorynes.

Now, the river where Cryptocoryne grows naturally is a rivulet that flows through the mountains on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, and in Japan it has an environment similar to a mountain stream. There are pandanus growing around it. This plant called pandanus prefers to grow in places with moisture, so we can expect water to flow where this plant is located. About 20 years ago, when I was traveling around Borneo and the Malay Peninsula in search of wild bettas, I found a wetland habitat for this pandan. However, this pandanus has hard and sturdy spines on its leaves. It is extremely difficult to navigate in a thicket of thick leaves. The thorns soon get tangled in my shirt and sting my skin. In addition to mosquitoes, there are many blood-sucking creatures in these places. Do you understand how difficult it is to take photos in such an environment? After shooting, I was completely exhausted both physically and mentally. For people who are not used to the field, the environment can be even more harsh, and when I show them around, I often hear their honest impressions that they don't want to come again (lol).