Echinodorus Horizontalis (Rare)

Description

Echinodorus horizontalis is a medium-sized sword plant originating from the Amazon depression in the north of South America. In contrast to many other Echinodorus species that grow in more or less sunny locations, E. horizontalis is most often found on shaded ground of marsh woods or temporarily flooded forests or the banks of rainforest rivulets. There it is subject to rapid changes of the water level. When flooded, it develops submersed leaves that have the same form as its emersed ones.1 E. horizontalis is e.g. found in Yasuní national park (Ecuador), together with the closely related Echinodorus tunicatus.

In earlier decades, E. horizontalis was widely distributed in the aquarium hobby and was exported from the area near Iquitos (Peru) together with e.g. Echinodorus grisebachii (type E. parviflorus) (Lehtonen & Arévalo 20052). Today it is only rarely cultivated and it is hard to come by in trade (sometimes, other species or hybrids are erroneously carried under the name E. horizontalis). E. horizontalis is a rather demanding plant when cultivated emersed in an aquatic plant nursery, it is susceptible to fungal diseases3 and has a lesser reproduction rate than many other sword plants. However, when cultivated submersed in the aquarium this plant grows quite well and even forms flower stalks with adventitious plants. Thus the survival of this beautiful plant in aquaristics depends almost entirely on hobbyists.

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NZ Status:  Very Rare

International Status: Rare