TankBud

Horemanii sword

Echinodorus horemanii

Also known as Horemanii red, Aquarius uruguayensis

FreshwaterRosetteSide shootsPlantletsRhizome division

Horemanii sword (Echinodorus horemanii)
Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
64–79°F
18–26°C
Max height
19.7 in
50 cm
Growth rate
Slow
Placement
Background
Type
Rosette
pH
5.5–7.5
Hardness
2–12 dGH
Spread
11.8 in (30 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Difficult
Family
Alismataceae
Origin
Southeastern South America (southern Brazil, Uruguay, northeastern Argentina, Paraguay)

Overview

A classic collector sword and a genuinely demanding one, so treat it as a background centerpiece for a mature, stable tank. It wants cool, soft, slightly acidic water, strong light, a deeply fertilized substrate, and CO2 to color up the red form and keep growth from stalling. Growth is slow, it dislikes warm water, and melt during acclimation is common, so give tissue-cultured or converted plants time before judging them.

In the wild

Native to the southeast of South America, across southern Brazil, Uruguay, northeastern Argentina, and Paraguay. In the wild it grows submersed in relatively cool, fast-flowing, acidic rivers and rivulets, often forming large stands and knitting the riverbed together with a network of rhizomes.

Good to know

The name Echinodorus horemanii Rataj is treated as a synonym of Echinodorus uruguayensis (family Alismataceae), which in a 2018 reclassification is placed under the accepted name Aquarius uruguayensis. E. uruguayensis is an extremely variable species, and much of what the hobby sells as horemanii, veronikae, or africanus are simply forms of it. It comes in green and red-leaved forms with long, narrow, slightly wavy leaves.

Did you know

Did you know horemanii is one of the few aquarium swords that actually prefers cooler, current-swept water? It comes from brisk subtropical rivers rather than warm tropical swamps, which is why it sulks in a hot, still tank.

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