Amazon sword

Echinodorus grisebachii

Also known as Echinodorus amazonicus, Echinodorus bleheri, Echinodorus bleherae, Echinodorus parviflorus

FreshwaterRosetteRunnersPlantlets

Amazon sword (Echinodorus grisebachii) — (c) Alberto Alcalá, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Background
Type: Rosette
Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Hardness: 5–15 dGH
Max height: 19.7 in (50 cm)
Spread: 15.7 in (40 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root feeder
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Easy
Origin: Cuba, Central and South America (Amazon basin)
Family: Alismataceae

Overview

A classic background or centerpiece rosette for medium and larger tanks. Plant it in nutrient rich substrate and keep the crown (where leaves meet roots) above the soil so it does not rot, then feed it with root tabs since it is a heavy root feeder. It does fine in medium light without CO2, though added CO2 and iron-rich fertilizer give bigger, greener leaves. Expect some old leaves to melt back after planting while it adjusts, and remember a healthy specimen gets large, so give it room.

In the wild

Native to Cuba, Central America, and South America as far south as Brazil and Bolivia, where it grows in stagnant to slow flowing water 50 to 100 cm deep. It is an amphibious marsh plant that stays submersed for most of the year and only pushes emersed leaves and flower stalks when the water drops in the dry season.

Good to know

A member of the Alismataceae (water plantain family). After 2008 DNA work, several plants long sold as separate species (E. amazonicus, E. bleherae, E. gracilis, E. parviflorus) were folded into E. grisebachii as synonyms, which is why the trade name is such a tangle. It grows from a central rosette on a short rootstock and reproduces by adventitious daughter plants that form along arching flower stalks and by runners.

Did you know

Many of the swords sold under different names (amazonicus, bleheri, gracilis) are genetically the same plant. The 2008 DNA study collapsed all of them into Echinodorus grisebachii, so two sword plants with different price tags and labels can be identical.