Phantom240 Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Now that my sword is finally getting some nice lush growth, I'm trying to figure out which subspecies it is. It was sold at a big box store as Echinodorus Amazonica, or "Amazon Sword", however its foliage makes me think otherwise. Instead of wider, plumper leaves, mine seems to be fairly narrow, and taking on an almost ruffled edge to most of the larger growth. I'm thinking it might be Echinodorus Martii, or "Ruffle Sword", since it seems to be maxing out at about 14" tall, and equally as wide. Sorry for the less than stellar pic, bowfronts with CO2 "sprite water" aren't the easiest to get a good shot... especially with the photobombing long fin black skirt tetras. I don't think the shape of the foliage is due to any nutrient deficiencies, since I'm dry dosing weekly per EI. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 ECHINODORUS BLEHERI 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthernAquarist Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 (edited) Great post! I literally thought there was just one Echinodorus...the Echinodorus Amazonicus. Lol! After looking at the other main ones found in hobby, yeah it does look like Echinodorus 'Martii'. I thought at first it may be the Echinodorus grisebachii or Echinodorus amazonicus. As the leaves appear quite large, but that kinda signature wrinkle in leaf makes it look very much like the 'Martii' Edited July 14, 2021 by NorthernAquarist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 (edited) Echinodorus martii tends to have longer leaf stems from those visible in this photo, from what I see in the picture I agree that this is Echinodorus bleheri; all swords have leaves that have twists and ruffles to some degree in them, even my Rubin, Red Flame, and Ozelot display some twists, and ruffles. Also Echinodorus bleheri is often sold falsely as Echinodorus amazonicus just based upon the fact that it is an Amazon sword plant and the seller lacks knowledge of species taxonomy. Edited July 14, 2021 by Jungle Fan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 On 7/14/2021 at 5:38 AM, NorthernAquarist said: Great post! I literally thought there was just one Echinodorus...the Echinodorus Amazonicus. Lol! After looking at the other main ones found in hobby, yeah it does look like Echinodorus 'Martii'. I thought at first it may be the Echinodorus grisebachii or Echinodorus amazonicus. As the leaves appear quite large, but that kinda signature wrinkle in leaf makes it look very much like the 'Martii' I have no less than 10 different species of echinodorus ranging in size from 1 inch to over 24 inches. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jungle Fan Posted July 14, 2021 Share Posted July 14, 2021 For anyone interested in the different Echinodorus species in depth these books by Christel Kasselmann are a great resource. Her latest book on Aquarium Plants which I bought in German is also available in English now by contacting her directly. I am not affiliated with her, and do not receive anything from her but I had been asked about the book by other members of this forum previously and thought I might display the link where anyone who likes can get the current English version. https://www.christel-kasselmann.de/buecher-2/aquarium-plants/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom240 Posted July 14, 2021 Author Share Posted July 14, 2021 @Jungle Fangoing on my christmas wish list for sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now