TankBud

Melon sword

Echinodorus osiris

Also known as Echinodorus osiris 'Rubra', Red melon sword

FreshwaterRosettePlantletsRunners

Melon sword (Echinodorus osiris)
阿橋 HQ · CC BY-SA 2.0

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Temperature
70–82°F
21–28°C
Max height
19.7 in
50 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Background
Type
Rosette
pH
6.5–7.5
Hardness
4–18 dGH
Spread
15.7 in (40 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root feeder
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Family
Alismataceae
Origin
Southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul)

Overview

Melon sword is an easy sword that forms a large rosette for the background.

Did you know

Melon sword is named for the color of its young leaves. They emerge a soft pink-orange, like cantaloupe flesh, before hardening off to green or bronze.

Caring for melon sword

Set melon sword in a rich substrate with the crown above the soil line. Give it space, since a settled plant gets tall and wide. Like all swords, it eats mostly through its roots, so feed it with root tabs.

It tolerates low to moderate light. Brighter light plus CO2 and iron bring out the melon coloring and keep growth compact. Keep it at 70 to 82°F (21 to 28°C) and a pH of 6.5 to 7.5.

It grows fast. Pull off cracked or algae-covered old leaves at the base. It propagates by daughter plants along its flower stalks, which can be pegged down and cut free once they root.

Good to know

Melon sword is sold as Echinodorus osiris, a sword plant in the family Alismataceae. Botanists treat that name as a synonym of Echinodorus uruguayensis. It grows as a rosette from a short, stout rootstock rather than from a creeping rhizome.

In the wild

Melon sword is native to subtropical southern Brazil, in the Rio Grande do Sul region, where it grows along rivers and streams. Like other swords, it is an amphibious marsh plant. It spends much of the year submersed and grows emersed leaves when water levels fall.

Common questions

Does melon 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 melon sword need CO2?

No, but it helps. Melon sword can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does melon sword need?

Melon sword wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

Does melon sword need root tabs?

Yes. Melon sword draws much of its food through its roots. Push root tabs in near it, or grow it in a nutrient-rich soil.

How do you propagate melon sword?

Melon sword propagates by plantlets and runners. Small plantlets form on the plant and can be detached once they have a few roots. New plants grow along its runners. Cut one free once it has roots and plant it.

How tall does melon sword grow?

Melon sword grows to about 19.7 in (50 cm) tall. It grows fast, so expect to trim it often.

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