Cultivated form of Echinodorus 'Hadi Red Pearl' (origin undocumented, no wild range)
Overview
Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword is an easy midground sword with cream-marbled leaves. It grows like the plain Hadi Red Pearl, as a specimen plant.
Did you know
Two older marbled swords, 'Marble Queen' and 'Grüner Panda', owe their pattern to a virus, according to heimbiotop. In both, the marbling fades underwater, and Grüner Panda's plantlets come without it. Watch Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword for the same signs.
Caring for Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword
Plant Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword in a nutrient-rich substrate or over root tabs, and keep the crown above the soil. It also takes food from the water, so a liquid fertilizer helps.
Give it medium light, since the cream sectors do little photosynthesis. Growth is slow, and CO2 is optional but speeds it up. Keep it at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 6 to 7.5. It stays about 20 cm tall.
No source yet shows whether the cream marbling holds on leaves grown underwater. New submersed leaves may come in plainer than the potted ones. It propagates by side shoots, plantlets and rhizome division, but check any plantlets for cream before counting on them to carry the pattern.
Good to know
Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword is a sword plant in the family Alismataceae. Its oval green leaves are streaked and marbled with cream and pale yellow-green sectors and carry some red markings. Plain Hadi Red Pearl has green leaves with red speckles and no cream. The cream sectors hold little or no chlorophyll. Whether its pattern is genetic or comes from a virus is unknown.
In the wild
Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword is a variegated form of the hybrid Echinodorus 'Hadi Red Pearl' and has no wild range. Where and when it arose is undocumented. Buce Plant and Glass Aqua stock it from the same supplier, and their photos show potted emersed plants. The swords it descends from grow in the marshes and on the riverbanks of the Americas.
Common questions
Does Hadi Red Pearl Variegated 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 Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword need CO2?
No, but it helps. Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword need?
Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.
Does Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword need root tabs?
They help. Hadi Red Pearl Variegated 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 Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword?
Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword propagates by side shoots, plantlets and rhizome division. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and plant it on its own. Small plantlets form on the plant and can be detached once they have a few roots.
How tall does Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword grow?
Hadi Red Pearl Variegated sword grows to about 7.9 in (20 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)