Echinodorus portoalegrensis Care Guide
Echinodorus portoalegrensis is a small Brazilian sword with narrow lance-shaped leaves on short petioles, suited as a foreground or midground accent.
Overview
Echinodorus portoalegrensis is a small sword plant in the family Alismataceae, native to southern Brazil. It forms a low rosette of narrow, lance-shaped leaves on short petioles. With submersed height typically around 5-15 cm and a rosette spreading 10-30 cm wide, it stays much smaller than the large Amazon swords and works as a foreground or midground accent or in a group.
Taxonomy
- Family: Alismataceae
- Genus: Echinodorus
- Scientific name: Echinodorus portoalegrensis
Habitat
The species is recorded from southeastern Brazil, in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. As with other Echinodorus, it is a marginal wetland plant that grows submersed or emersed according to seasonal water levels.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 22-28 °C (72-82 °F)
- pH: 6.0-7.5
- GH: 3-12 °dGH
- Lighting: medium to high
- CO2: not required, but accepted
- Growth rate: slow
- Maximum height: about 15 cm
- Placement: foreground to midground
Planting and care
It is a root-feeding rosette plant and should be set in a nutrient-rich substrate or supplemented with root tabs. Growth is slow, which keeps the plant tidy and reduces maintenance. It accepts medium to high light, and supplemental CO2 encourages faster development. Because of its compact size it can be planted in small groups to form a low foreground stand.
Propagation
Propagation is vegetative, by adventitious plantlets on flower stalks and by division of the rootstock. Plantlets are separated once they have formed their own roots and replanted.