How are lattice leaves made?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

August 28, 2003

The Madagascar lace plant or lattice leaf (Aponogeton madagascariensis (Mirbel) Van Bruggen) is a submerged aquatic best known for its use in aquaria and garden ponds. In its native habitat, lattice leaf grows in fresh water up to a meter deep. Aponogeton are palaeotropical plants distributed from Africa to Southeast Asia and Australia.

Lattice leaf is herbaceous; the leaves and flowering stems arise from a rhizome buried in the mud at the bottom of lake or pond. Lattice leaf blooms in summer. The inflorescence is forked and rises above the water's surface. The floral parts are white and attract beetles and other flying insects.

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Acquario by Isabella Cuccato

When the flowers have been pollinated and the ovules successfully fertilized, they turn from white to mauve.

Lattice leaf gets its common name from its spectacular leaves. The leaves are broadly oblong and can grow to 55 centimeters (22 inches) long. The major veins of each leaf are parallel with smaller veins connecting the larger ones. The leaf is reticulate--the veins laid out in the pattern of a net.

When the leaf has expanded to its full size, the tissues between the veins tear away. The mature leaf is composed of a net of veins. The holes in the leaf are fenestrations or windows. The overall effect is a green wavy lattice or lacework.

The Age of Aquariums has a beautiful photograph of a lattice leaf in an aquarium. To view this beautiful plant, click on the link:

http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/pmadagascar.html