Marble queen sword

Echinodorus cordifolius

Also known as Marble Queen sword, Spade leaf sword, Radican sword, Echinodorus cordifolius 'Marble Queen', Echinodorus 'Tropica Marble Queen', Creeping burhead

FreshwaterRosettePlantletsRhizome division

Marble queen sword (Echinodorus cordifolius) — Prenn · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Background
Type: Rosette
Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 6.2–7.5
Hardness: 4–12 dGH
Max height: 19.7 in (50 cm)
Spread: 11.8 in (30 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Easy
Origin: Mexico and southern United States
Family: Alismataceae

Overview

Plant it as a big background specimen in a tall, wide tank, because it is a heavy root feeder that wants a rich substrate or plenty of root tabs and gets large. Under strong light and a long photoperiod it will send leaves up to and out of the surface, so either give it headroom and let it grow emersed or trim the tallest leaves to keep it submersed. CO2 and good light sharpen the marbling. It propagates by daughter plants that sprout along the arching flower stalk, which you can pot up once they have a few roots, and older crowns can be split.

In the wild

Echinodorus cordifolius is native to the southern United States and Mexico, where it grows in boggy ground, marshes, ditches, and the muddy margins of slow water. It is a marsh plant by nature, spending much of its life emersed with spade-shaped leaves held above the water and only going fully submersed when flooded.

Good to know

A true species in the family Alismataceae, sometimes called the spade leaf sword or creeping burhead. The 'Marble Queen' and 'Tropica Marble Queen' selections are variegated forms with cream and white marbling on green, heart-shaped leaves. Submersed leaves stay shorter with longer petioles, while emersed leaves are larger and tougher, and the plant flowers readily above the waterline.

Did you know

Did you know this sword can climb right out of your tank? Given bright light and a long day, the flower stalk arches over the rim and roots wherever it touches down, which is how it earns the old nickname 'creeping burhead.'