Echinodorus Red Chameleon
Echinodorus 'Red Chameleon'
One of 21 cultivars of Echinodorus · See all cultivars →
Also known as Red Chameleon sword, Sword plant Red Chameleon, Echinodorus Red Chamaleon
Cultivars · Echinodorus
See all 21 →
Care at a glance
- Light
- Medium light
- CO2
- CO₂ beneficial
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Placement
- Midground
- Type
- Rosette
- Temperature
- 64–82°F (18–28°C)
- pH
- 5.0–8.0
- Hardness
- 2–18 dGH
- Max height
- 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Spread
- 7.9 in (20 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Root + water column
- Growth region
- Submersed or emersed
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Origin
- Cultivar raised by the Dennerle nursery (no wild range)
- Family
- Alismataceae
Overview
A midground sword that stays around 30 cm. It is a heavy root feeder: nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs under the crown, regular liquid fertilization and a steady CO2 supply are what the breeder recommends for full growth. Light intensity sets the color, with medium light keeping it green-bronze and strong light pulling the central leaves dark red and the whole rosette more compact. Keep the crown above the substrate and remove tired outer leaves at the base.
In the wild
Red Chameleon is a nursery cultivar raised by Dennerle, with no wild range. The genus behind it comes from the wetlands of the Americas, where swords grow rooted in soft mud through emersed and submersed phases. Trade pots arrive in emersed form and convert underwater.
Good to know
It belongs to the family Alismataceae. Dennerle raised it as the smaller counterpart to its Echinodorus 'Green Chameleon', and unlike that plant it shows red-tinted leaves even in the emersed form. Grown submersed under strong light the habit turns compact and the heart leaves color a deep dark red. Propagation is by adventitious plantlets on the flower stalk.
Did you know
The chameleon in the name is literal: the center leaves swing between green and deep red purely with light intensity, so the rosette works as a rough light meter for the tank.
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