dunno if this will clarify or not from my non-scientific viewpoint, but here goes. i had i. pennata for several yrs. then, after i got too vigorous in weeding that out, i found a source of seeds for i. quamoclit, which i'd seen and wanted really bad. anyhow, it seems more seedy/weedy than pennata, and comes up all over(no hope of weeding it all out)- but always with the extremely fine ferny foliage. i have some regular ipomeas(blue heaven, saucers, granpa otts, etc.- those are multifidas) that bloom at the same time and all over each yr, but have never seen them cross with or noticed any recognisable crosses of them and quamoclit(or pennata when i grew it). the common multifida ones cross every which way but loose with each other, but at least for me they haven't boogied with quamoclit. pup- i understood your question, but don't know the answer. it makes sense that it would be part of the genetic grab bag, but i haven't seen evidence of it. maybe your yard/experience is just that. i didn't mean that species don't or can't cross earlier, just that if the seeds are pure species, they should come true. we count on seedsman to label things correctly and breed them true. there's no way to really tell, though, just by the seeds(or plants), but i hadn't seen those 2 buggers cross or spontaneously mutate. however, because the common names are so similar, they certainly could get mixed up in a seed packet. and, who's to say some birds or storms didn't help along with some seeds from neighbor's yards? anyhow, i probably was making too many assumptions & should have kept my lip buttoned. i hope i didn't hurt any feelings. and, that's a good ? about what you call a species that can't cross. anyone?

After leaving the low-lying areas, I walked along this canal - a scenic mist had risen in the meantime: Water seeps from the top of the hill down to the canal, and then seeps again from the canal down to the river. This whole area faces west - strong afternoon exposure, plenty of water. Multiple fimbriatas grow above the canal, along with equisetum hyemale (my favorite rush) - A closer view of the fern growing above the canal: And, finally, an image of the down-slope. There are a few small fimbriatas growing down there, but it's mostly bracken fern and gigantic equisetum hyemale (isolated rushes with large diameter) - Anyhow, I hope these are helpful! Or at least enjoyable! The rain continues to fall, Josh

Oh, I can relate to that. (Not having time to plant.) I have seeds that are five or six years old that I'm sure will have at least a 10 percent germination rate left in them, if I can ever get them in the ground. This summer, I planted almost all of my old pumpkin seeds directly out in piles of aged manure -- and got a really miserable germination rate. But the seven plants that made it (out of nearly 70 seeds, I'm sure) grew really well -- we were blessed with great weather this year. Next year, I'm going to start the pumpkin seeds in pots where I can keep an eye on them. And maybe I'll even get the blueberries in the ground (they've only been in a pot for two years -- I hope they survive one more winter in the green cellar). Thanks for the tip -- I'll take a look at Douglas's thread. Good luck next year! M.

That's IT, Mr.B! You have totally inspired me! I now know what i want! You are spot-on with the stream edge/riverbank idea! So, I will now make one very large, fake tree going down into the water. It will be enormous, like a very old red-wood or Douglas fir, or even a mangrove, and you will see about 3 feet of trunk, and then about 2 feet of roots going down into the water. The rest of the walls will be the 'riverbank'. This is still realistic because the tree can be growing out of the side of a riverbank, not just on top of it. And it also allows for realism with branches coming down from the canopy (most likely fake, since I want everything to weigh as little as possible) or fallen branches sticking out of the riverbank. I will also then make my 'pool' like a river, with directional flow. This wil be very well-suited to discus, who live amongst the tree roots going down into the Amazon in nature. Sweet! I'm REALLY excited about this now! Not to mention eternally grateful for this forum that enables me to communicate with people I don't know and would never have met! As for where my tree will be, I don't know. Perhaps the back left corner, so that I'm not totally copying Mr.B =) and so that my waterfall can still be on the right side, now more of a stream that is flowing down the riverbank and into the river. I will also likely put some more tree roots entering the water on the right side, to suggest the larger picture. Hmmmmmm. . . I think I will leave the tree trunk hollow, so that it weighs less and also provides space to hide cables and whatnot. And of course I will have some jungle vines draping down, to provide additional space for epiphytes. I am really excited about making the texture of the bark! I love how moss grows on the ridges of tree bark in the forest, and I will strive to emulate that in my tank. What would y'all suggest for my main tree form, since I want it hollow? I think that a piece of PVC that large would be too expensive. Perhaps I could build a plywood frame that is sort of hexagonal (only not totally round, because the tree will disappear into the back of the tank, not be entirely molded 'in the round' so to speak)? Oh, another thing I am very excited about is the plants. I have decided that I must have a super dwarf lotus in my tank! I adore these plants, but it is just too cool here in the summer to grow them successfully. I think a terrarium could be just the thing! And mine would have enough space (I think) for the smallest variety out there, right? Gary, please chime in here and tell me if this will work or not at all. Would it require a cooler dormancy? If so, could this be accomplished by removing the plant and storing it somewhere for the neccessary dormancy period? And also, since I'm going with a riverbank idea, I think I will make some holes in the bank to contain pots for terrestrials. Some paphs. and phrags. would be REALLY sweet! Especially with the flowers arching over the water. . . oh my goodness, I hope you all can see this in your head like I can. It's a piece of paradise! One question about the fake branches: how does one heat the PVC pipes in order to bend them to the desired shape (a la the Dutch vivs)? Heat gun? Blowtorch? Homer, I don't mind you being contradictory. =) I think that I will need excellent air movement in my tank though, especially if I want a lotus. You're probably right, I probably am too worried about the technical aspects (I'm more artsy-fartsy than handy, especially when it comes to electricity. Thank goodness I married an electrician!). And the wet/dry filter probably scares me more than it should because I simply have no experience with them. I should go check out the pond forum, so that I at least know what you guys are talking about. =) Are they similar to the sump method of filtration for fish tanks? Because that's what I want to use. You know, the water flows out of the main tank via an overflow, which contains a pre-filter, and then it goes down into the sump, where it flows through various chambers containing foam, sponges, 'bio-balls' or other media good for growing beneficial bacteria, etc., and then back into the tank via some powerheads. I think I will need two, maybe three powerheads on the right side to create my river flow effect. Am I making kind of a riffle tank here?