Cultivated hybrid (nursery-bred, not a wild species); parent stock from tropical South America
Overview
Aflame sword is a moderately sized red sword for the midground or the front of a larger background, rather than a towering centerpiece. It is rated medium in difficulty.
Did you know
Aflame sword's leaf color is basically a light meter. Under weak light it drifts toward plain green, and it only develops its dark red to purple tones with intense lighting and iron.
Caring for Aflame sword
Plant Aflame sword in a nutrient-rich substrate and keep the crown above the surface to avoid rot. It feeds through both its roots and its leaves, so add root tabs and a liquid fertilizer. Dose iron and potassium as well, so it holds its deep burgundy color.
Give it high light, which also keeps it compact. Added CO2 is not strictly required, but it speeds and firms up growth. Keep the water at 68 to 82°F (20 to 28°C), with a pH of 5.5 to 7.5.
Growth is slow, and it reaches roughly 25 to 30 cm. New plants come from plantlets on its flower stalks, from side shoots and from dividing the rhizome. Detach a plantlet once it has a few roots.
Good to know
Aflame sword is a cultivar in the family Alismataceae, also sold as Purple Knight sword. It carries a quoted cultivar name because it has no valid botanical binomial. Like other Echinodorus, it is a rosette-forming marsh plant that grows both submersed and emersed. Its tall flower stalks produce adventitious plantlets rather than true seed in the aquarium.
In the wild
Aflame sword is a nursery-produced hybrid with no native range of its own. Its Echinodorus parentage traces to the marshes, slow streams and seasonally flooded ground of tropical Central and South America. There, swords root in mud and push emersed leaves above the waterline.
Common questions
Does Aflame sword need to be planted in the substrate?
Yes. Bury the roots and leave the crown, where the leaves join, just above the substrate.
Does Aflame sword need CO2?
No, but it helps. Aflame sword can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Aflame sword need?
Aflame sword needs high light from a strong planted-tank LED.
Does Aflame sword need root tabs?
They help. Aflame sword takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.
How do you propagate Aflame sword?
Aflame sword propagates by plantlets, rhizome division and side shoots. Small plantlets form on the plant and can be detached once they have a few roots. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.
How tall does Aflame sword grow?
Aflame sword grows to about 11.8 in (30 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.
Low lightMidground7.9 in (20 cm)
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
High lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)