Echinodorus Muricatus

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Amazon Sword

Synonyms

Echinodorus floribundus; Echinodorus grandiflorus ssp. aureus (trade name of uncertain taxonomic origin, possibly related to E. cordifolius complex)

Environment

Freshwater

Native to

South America (Amazon basin)

Habitat

Muddy riverbanks, floodplains and lake shores of slow-moving tropical rivers, subject to seasonal submersion and drying

Sourcing

Captive-bred

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Growth form

Rosette

Max height

6 – 20 in (15 – 51 cm)

Spread

16 in (41 cm)

Growth rate

Fast

Placement

Background, Midground

Water

Temperature

72 – 82 °F (22 – 28 °C)

pH

6.0 – 7.5

dKH

2 – 12 dKH

Flow

Low-Moderate

Light

Medium

CO₂

Beneficial

Planting

Substrate

Nutrient-rich required

Feeds from

Roots

Fertilizer needs

High

Colors

Green

Feeding & breeding

Propagation

Rhizome division, Plantlets, Adventitious plantlets, Splitting

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Care guide

Overview

Reaching up to 20 inches with a spread near 16, this rosette plant forms a wide background clump of ovoid, lance-shaped leaves that appear translucent with pronounced venation. Growth is fast in nutrient-rich substrate under medium light, and it adapts to submersed or emersed conditions without CO2. Suits 30-gallon or larger tanks with room to spread and periodic trimming of older leaves.

Care

A large, fast-growing sword plant that forms a wide rosette of ovoid to lance-shaped leaves with a translucent quality and prominent venation. It tolerates a broad range of water conditions and does not require CO2 injection, making it forgiving for beginners, though it rewards nutrient-rich substrate and good lighting with faster growth. Because of its eventual size, it is best suited to larger tanks where it can be used as a background or solitary specimen and given room to spread. Older outer leaves should be trimmed periodically to keep the rosette tidy and to make way for new growth.

Planting & trimming

Remove any packaging material such as rockwool or foam from the roots before planting, and bury the root system in a deep, nutrient-rich substrate while keeping the crown at the substrate surface. Because it grows into a large, wide rosette, give it generous spacing from neighboring plants. It can also be grown emersed in paludariums or open-top tanks, where it produces flower stalks bearing small white blooms and adventitious plantlets.

Fertilizing

This plant is a heavy root feeder and benefits most from a nutrient-rich substrate supplemented with root tabs placed near the root zone. Liquid fertilizers containing iron and micronutrients help support the large leaf mass, especially in tanks without a rich substrate. Pale new growth or thinning older leaves are common signs of nutrient deficiency and usually respond to increased root fertilization.

Propagation

Propagation is typically achieved through side shoots or daughter plantlets that form on rhizome offsets or on trailing flower stalks. These plantlets can be separated once they develop a few roots and leaves and then replanted in substrate. Division of mature rhizomes is also possible for faster multiplication.

Problems

Sudden changes in water parameters after planting can trigger melt, where older leaves yellow and disintegrate before new submersed growth emerges; this is usually temporary if conditions stabilize. Insufficient root nutrition can cause stunted or pale leaves over time. Algae can accumulate on older, slower-growing leaves under high light without adequate CO2 or nutrient balance.

Sources

1. Echinodorus sp. "muricatus" - Flowgrow Aquatic Plant Database
2. Muricatus Sword XL | Radican-Type Sword | Aqua Atomic
3. Echinodorus Muricatus Aquarium Plant - Buce Plant
4. Echinodorus Muricatus Radican Sword | APF Aquarium Plants Factory®

More Swords

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