Help identifying this Cryptocoryne

[JnSchutz]

Hey guys, I was reading a book about aquarium plants, and I find a plant identified as Cryptocoryne retrospiralis. I have one in my tank that matches the description and the photo in the book, but since it is said to be rare, and as I read here in the forum it is also quite unusual. I would love to check with you if it is the same plant.
Bellow there is the book page about this plant, and then some picture of mine. We can actually see the purpleish colour towards its base, but it is quite seasonal, they brighten and fade depending on the season I guess.

The plant itself is quite sensitive to change in water parameters and to the touch I think, because when I removed some bad looking leaves it turned other leaves bad looking as well

 

[ElleDee]

Without flowers getting a definitive id might be difficult, especially because crypts can be so morphologically variable. Why do you think yours is C. retrospiralis and not one of the other forms with long linear leaves? What you've written doesn't seem particularly diagnostic for that specific species.

 

[JnSchutz]

Without flowers getting a definitive id might be difficult, especially because crypts can be so morphologically variable. Why do you think yours is C. retrospiralis and not one of the other forms with long linear leaves? What you've written doesn't seem particularly diagnostic for that specific species.

Well, I read through all other Cryptocoryne that where described in the book and this one was the closest one with long leaves. I know that this book is quite old, 20+years. And I don't have yet another way to find out, this is why I'm asking for help, because the book can be outdated about this one, and maybe there is a hybrid form that came along in the past few years

 

[Walt1908]

My guess would be for 99% Balansae

 

[Tim Harrison]

I've grown it a few times, I don't remember the leaf edges being so crenate, or the leaves being that long. But then I grew it low-energy without CO2, and like @ElleDee mentions above, crypts have a great deal of phenotypic plasticity when it comes to leaf morphology, responding to different environmental conditions. So I could be wrong. It does look more like C. balansae though.

Cryptocoryne retrospiralis

 

[JnSchutz]

I've grown it a few times, I don't remember the leaf edges being so crenate, or the leaves being that long. But then I grew it low-energy without CO2, and like @ElleDee mentions above, crypts have a great deal of phenotypic plasticity when it comes to leaf morphology, responding to different environmental conditions. So I could be wrong. It does look more like C. balansae though.

Cryptocoryne retrospiralis

View attachment 218467

Yeah it is really hard to tell. The edges were more smooth, then I started dosing potassium, because (you can see by the pictures) I was having a deficiency in this one. Then it became a little crooked and some leaves melted. In addition I removed a lot of it's cover, it was in a shaded area with lots of floating plants above it.
Guess I will have to wait for it to flower as @ElleDee have mentioned.
But first I will have to learn how to have them flowering

 

[bazz]

How long has it/they been growing in your tank?
Mine grew as a large rosette but it was planted singularly it also developed a reddish tinge. I had to brutally attack it as a mother plant in the end as there were plantlets appearing all over a 90 x 55cm footprint I think it would have taken over the tank left unchecked.

 

[JnSchutz]

How long has it/they been growing in your tank?
Mine grew as a large rosette but it was planted singularly it also developed a reddish tinge. I had to brutally attack it as a mother plant in the end as there were plantlets appearing all over a 90 x 55cm footprint I think it would have taken over the tank left unchecked.

It's nearly 2 years I think, I haven't tried to propagate it, because I don't know much about crypts, but it definitely grew a lot it had only a few leaves when I bought.
I'm learning that this kind of plant doesn't like change very much, it does melt when I do same change in my water parameters