Uruguay sword
Echinodorus uruguayensis
Also known as Uruguayan Sword Plant, Echinodorus uruguayensis 'africanus', Aquarius uruguayensis
Care at a glance
- Light
- Medium light
- CO2
- CO₂ beneficial
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Placement
- Background
- Type
- Rosette
- Temperature
- 61–79°F (16–26°C)
- pH
- 6.0–7.8
- Hardness
- 4–18 dGH
- Max height
- 21.7 in (55 cm)
- Spread
- 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Nutrient uptake
- Root feeder
- Growth region
- Submersed
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Origin
- South America (Uruguay, southern Brazil, Paraguay, NE Argentina)
- Family
- Alismataceae
Overview
Give it a deep, nutrient-rich substrate and root tabs, it is a heavy root feeder that rewards you with dense, robust growth. It prefers cooler water (about 16 to 24 C) and medium light, with CO2 and iron dosing bringing out fuller leaves and better colour. It gets tall, up to around 55 cm, so plant it in the mid to background and give the rosette room to spread by runners.
In the wild
The Uruguay sword grows in rivers and streams across southern South America, in Uruguay, southern Brazil, Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. It comes from cooler subtropical waters, which is why it takes lower temperatures than most swords, and it grows fully submersed as a large rosette rooted in riverbed sediment.
Good to know
A member of the water-plantain family (Alismataceae), it is a true rosette sword with long, narrow, slightly translucent green blades. Its taxonomy is tangled, plants sold as the form 'africanus' belong here too, and some botanists place the genus Echinodorus under Aquarius. Unlike many swords it stays submersed reliably rather than pushing up emersed leaves.
Did you know
It is one of the few sword plants happy in cooler, unheated tanks, so it pairs well with subtropical fish that would cook a typical warm-water Amazon sword.
Where to buy
Some links may not be the exact species or variety.
- Glass Aqua Aquascaping plants and planted tank supplies
- Aquarium Plants Factory Aquatic plants shipped from a California greenhouse
…or ask your local fish store.
Appears in
Growing Uruguay sword?
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