Uruguay sword

Echinodorus uruguayensis

Also known as Uruguayan Sword Plant, Echinodorus uruguayensis 'africanus', Aquarius uruguayensis, Echinodorus aschersonianus, Echinodorus ascherianus, Echinodorus africanus, Echinodorus veronikae, Echinodorus viridis

FreshwaterRosetteRunners

Uruguay sword (Echinodorus uruguayensis) — Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 61–79°F; 16–26°C
Max height: 21.7 in; 55 cm

Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Background
Type: Rosette
pH: 6.0–7.8
Hardness: 4–18 dGH
Spread: 11.8 in (30 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root feeder
Growth region: Submersed
Difficulty: Easy
Family: Alismataceae
Origin: South America (Uruguay, southern Brazil, Paraguay, NE Argentina)

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.