sword plants

[anglerman]

The red-tinted varieties, including some non-red ones, are not natural wild Echinodorus plants but cultivars developed from crossing different species. Their growth height might be more uniform for each variety compared to wild species. However, there's considerable variation in the size of wild species plants, which can depend on the aquarium conditions. This variation is a natural aspect of wild species. For instance, Echinodorus grisebachii shows differences in appearance between plants, seemingly influenced by their environment. This phenomenon likely occurs in nature as well, resulting in transitional forms within the species.

Research by Lehtonen and Falck (2011) suggests that the limited genetic variation within the complex makes it difficult to establish distinct groupings. Initially, E. amazonicus, E. bleherae, E. grisebachii, and E. parviflorus were described as separate species, but phylogenetic analysis revealed they are actually all E. grisebachii with varying appearances.

Kasselmann (2003) reported that Echinodorus "ozelot" has leaf blades measuring 10-15cm in length and 3-4cm in width, resulting in a maximum height of 20cm. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information on E. "reni" in my texts.

Wild species can exhibit significant size differences. I had a personal experience with E. grisebachii, which produced numerous inflorescences over the years. I detached many adventitious plants and placed them in other tanks. Despite coming from the same parent, these plants showed remarkable differences in leaf blade length and width. Some remained small, while others grew close to the size of the parent plant, all in different tanks.

Any chance this plant will take over my house and go through the skylights?

[dungeon]

Ended up pulling out my Echinodorus from the 200L tank, just got too big. I mean, we're talking 8 feet in length, no joke.

[anglerman]

That's massive.

[willie32]

The red-tinted varieties, including some non-red ones, are not natural wild Echinodorus plants but cultivars developed from crossing different species. Their growth height might be more uniform for each variety compared to wild species. However, there's considerable variation in the size of wild species plants, which can depend on the aquarium conditions. This variation is a natural aspect of wild species. For instance, Echinodorus grisebachii shows differences in appearance between plants, seemingly influenced by their environment. This phenomenon likely occurs in nature as well, resulting in transitional forms within the species.

Research by Lehtonen and Falck (2011) suggests that the limited genetic variation within the complex makes it difficult to establish distinct groupings. Initially, E. amazonicus, E. bleherae, E. grisebachii, and E. parviflorus were described as separate species, but phylogenetic analysis revealed they are actually all E. grisebachii with varying appearances.

Kasselmann (2003) reported that Echinodorus "ozelot" has leaf blades measuring 10-15cm in length and 3-4cm in width, resulting in a maximum height of 20cm. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any information on E. "reni" in my texts.

Wild species can exhibit significant size differences. I had a personal experience with E. grisebachii, which produced numerous inflorescences over the years. I detached many adventitious plants and placed them in other tanks. Despite coming from the same parent, these plants showed remarkable differences in leaf blade length and width. Some remained small, while others grew close to the size of the parent plant, all in different tanks.

Thanks for the info boomer, really interesting stuff. I've heard of H. bolivkento4um before and I think it could be just what I'm looking for. But I do have a spot that could work for a bigger sword too.

dungeon's pic of e.impai is crazy, 8 foot long is massive! It's making me think twice about putting a big sword in my 2 foot tank though. I'm also looking at some bigger Crypts, like Crispulata, and I want to try some Vallisnera.

[thenoob]

When it comes to choosing sword plants, the number you can keep in a tank really depends on the species. I've got a soft spot for a few varieties - Kleiner Prinz, for instance, is a beautiful deep red that's not too tall, around 8 inches or so. However, I'm not sure how well it would do in a low-tech tank. Another one I really like is E. parviflorus "tropica" - it's a great dark green color and only about 2 inches high, but it's a lot more dense than some of the other smaller swords like pygmy swords.

I also appreciate some of the crimum and apongeton plants - Boivinainus is a particular favorite of mine. It's taken a few years in my 29-gallon tank to really get established, but it's finally filling out and looking amazing. It does have a large root system, though, so that's something to keep in mind.