Cultivated form (nursery selection, no wild range); breeder and parents unrecorded
Overview
Jaguar sword is an easy, spotted sword cultivar that fits the midground of most tanks.
Did you know
Jaguar sword is one of several sword cultivars named after spotted cats, alongside Leopard and Ozelot. Its spots are the faintest of the three, so check a young leaf before you decide a plant was mislabeled.
Caring for Jaguar sword
Plant Jaguar sword in a rich substrate with the crown just above the surface. Swords feed mainly through their roots, so push a root tab beside the crown every few months. It also takes food from the water, so a liquid fertilizer helps.
Medium light is enough, and added CO2 makes it grow faster. Keep it at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 6 to 7.5. It tops out around 30 cm.
The potted leaves were grown above water and often melt in the first weeks. New leaves unfolding from the center show that the plant has settled in. Cut old leaves at the base as they fade. New plants come from plantlets and side shoots.
Good to know
Jaguar sword is a sword cultivar in the family Alismataceae, with no species name attached. Its emersed leaves are broad, lance-shaped to oval and light green, with a heart-shaped or squared-off base. Its underwater leaves are long and oval, with a rounded tip and clear veins. Young leaves carry faint, blurry red-brown spots, clearest on underwater growth, and older leaves usually look plain green. Ozelot Green is the nearest look-alike, but its dark spots are bold and easy to see.
In the wild
Jaguar sword is a nursery sword with no wild range, known only as a cultivated form. No source records its parents. A Canadian shop credits Hans Barth of Dessau, who introduced the spotted Leopard and Ozelot swords, but no reference confirms it. Most sword cultivars descend from South American species that root in the mud of marshes and slow rivers.
Common questions
Does Jaguar 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 Jaguar sword need CO2?
No, but it helps. Jaguar sword can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Jaguar sword need?
Jaguar sword wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.
Does Jaguar sword need root tabs?
They help. Jaguar 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 Jaguar sword?
Jaguar sword propagates by plantlets and side shoots. Small plantlets form on the plant and can be detached once they have a few roots. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and plant it on its own.
How tall does Jaguar sword grow?
Jaguar sword grows to about 11.8 in (30 cm) tall. It grows at a moderate pace.
Low lightMidground7.9 in (20 cm)
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
High lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)