Leaves held out sideways rather than upright — that horizontal posture is where the name comes from. Echinodorus horizontalis grows longish-oval leaves in light to medium green with a fine grid-like veining you can see through, on a rosette that spreads far wider than it stands tall. What You'll Receive Sold as emerged bare-root plants, bunch plants, or potted plants Bare-root plants: loose, bare-root plants Bunch plants: rooted plants, bundled with foam and the plant's weight Potted plants: rooted plants, potted with rockwool Plant Profile Common name — Horizontalis Sword, also known as Horizontal Sword Scientific name — Echinodorus horizontalis Origin — Amazon region; shaded marsh woodland and seasonally flooded forest Placement — Midground to background Mature height — 10-16 inches Growth rate — Medium Care Difficulty — Beginner, provided you feed the roots Light — Medium CO₂ — Not required, though it fills out faster with it Water — 68-82°F, pH 6.5-7.5 Substrate — Required. Heavy root feeder — root tabs or aquasoil under the crown. Growth habit — Amphibious rosette; also grows emersed Propagation — Adventitious plantlets on aerial floral stalks Grower's Notes Measure the width, not the height. It reaches 10-16 inches tall but the rosette can span a foot and a half across. In a standard tank that means one plant, with space cleared around it — plan the layout around its spread or it will shade out whatever you put beside it. It comes from shade. This is a forest-floor plant from seasonally flooded woodland, so medium light suits it and strong light mostly grows algae on slow-turning leaves. Watch for chlorosis. Pale leaves with green veins point to iron. Swords are heavy feeders and this one shows a shortfall clearly — root tabs plus a general liquid trace mix will correct it. Plant the crown at substrate level, never below. Cover the roots and leave the growing point exposed — a buried crown rots from the center. It propagates from floral stalks, not runners. Settled plants will send up a stalk carrying plantlets, and in this species they appear readily. Leave each attached until it has four or five leaves and its own roots, then cut it free. Want to go deeper? Read our complete Amazon Sword (Echinodorus) Care Guide. Notes Disclaimer: Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, and pesticides, grow emerged, or submerge. Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
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