Cultivar (hybrid of Echinodorus barthii and Echinodorus uruguayensis)
Overview
Kleiner Bar sword is an easy background sword, often used as a single centerpiece.
Did you know
Kleiner Bar sword sometimes throws plantlets straight from an old leaf or an emersed flower stalk, like several other red swords.
Caring for Kleiner Bar sword
Plant Kleiner Bar sword with room to spread, and leave the crown just above the substrate. Feed it heavily at the roots with a rich substrate or root tabs. It also takes food from the water, so a liquid fertilizer helps.
It does fine under moderate light without CO2. In good conditions it puts out about one new leaf a week, and strong light gives the darkest red color. Keep it at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C) and a pH of 6 to 7.5.
Remove old leaves at the base. Pin any plantlets down until they root, or divide the rhizome of an older plant.
Good to know
Kleiner Bar sword is a hybrid of Echinodorus barthii and Echinodorus uruguayensis, in the family Alismataceae. Its name, Kleiner Bär, is German for Little Bear. Leaf color depends strongly on light, shifting from olive-green in dim tanks to deep burgundy or maroon under bright light and good nutrition.
In the wild
Kleiner Bar sword is a cultivated hybrid without a wild population. Its parent species are South American swords from Uruguay and the wider Amazon basin. They grow in marshes, ditches and slow rivers, rooting in soft mud and often growing emersed in the dry season. Kleiner Bar sword inherits their substrate-rooted rosette form.
Common questions
Does Kleiner Bar 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 Kleiner Bar sword need CO2?
No, but it helps. Kleiner Bar sword can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Kleiner Bar sword need?
Kleiner Bar sword wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.
Does Kleiner Bar sword need root tabs?
They help. Kleiner Bar 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 Kleiner Bar sword?
Kleiner Bar sword propagates by plantlets and rhizome division. Small plantlets form on the plant and can be detached once they have a few roots. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.
How tall does Kleiner Bar sword grow?
Kleiner Bar sword grows to about 11.8 in (30 cm) tall. It grows at a moderate pace.
Medium lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
High lightBackground19.7 in (50 cm)
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Medium lightBackground21.7 in (55 cm)