Related FAQs: Echinodorus Swordplants for the Aquarium Garden, Related Articles: Live Plants for Aquariums, /The Aquarium Gardener Series Swordplants of the Genus Echinodorus
Bob Fenner	Echinodorus tenellus

Genus Echinodorus, Family Alistamaceae. Thirty one described species.

Distribution:

    Distributed widely in the tropical and sub-tropical New World, including some species on tropical West Atlantic islands.

Echinodorus bleheri, the (thin bladed) Amazon Sword Plant. Growing in aquariums, reproducing asexually.

Echinodorus tenellus, one of the Pygmy Chain Swords. A great aquarium species, particularly for foreground use. Rapid spreading by way of runners.

Bigger PIX: The images in this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size.

Bibliography/Further Reading:

Baensch, Hans A. & Rudiger Riehl. 1993. Aquarium Atlas, v. 2. BAENSCH, Germany. 1212 pp.

Brunner, Gerhard. 1973. Aquarium Plants. T.F.H. Publications, NJ. 159 pp.

de Graaf, Arie. 1995. Collecting water plants in South America. Locating E. portoalegrensis Rataj in Southern Brazil. FAMA 9/95.

de Graaf, Arie. Somatic chromosome numbers in Echinodorus (Alistamaceae) E. bolivianus and E. quadricostatus. FAMA 7/97.

de Graaf, Arie. 1999. The validity of E. bleheri and E. parviflorus. FAMA 4/99.

James, Barry. 1986. A Fishkeeper's Guide To Aquarium Plants. Salamander Books, U.K.. 117 pp.

Gasser, Robert A. 1978. Echinodorus humilis. FAMA 5/78.

Gasser, Robert A. 1978. Echinodorus peruensis. FAMA 7/78.

Gasser, Robert A. 1979. Echinodorus species "Rosaefolia". FAMA 1/79.

Gasser, Robert A. 1979. Echinodorus uruguayensis. FAMA 4/79.

Gasser, Robert A. 1980. Echinodorus paniculatus var. rangeri. FAMA 1/80.

Gasser, Robert A. 1988. Echinodorus undulatus. FAMA 10/88.

Gray, Noel. 1996. Guide to the Amazon Sword Plants. The Aquarium Gardener 7:1/96.

Kasselmann, Christel. 1994. Echinodorus schlueteri Rataj. The Aquarium Gardener 9-12/94.

Paffrath, K. 1975. The Ruffled Swordplant (Echinodorus major). Aquarium Digest International. 3:4/75.

Paffrath, Kurt. 1988. The six best Echinodorus species. Amazon plants in the aquarium. Today's Aquarium 1/88.

Pon, Richard T. 1991. Broad leafed Amazon Sword Plant (E. bleheri). The Aquarium Gardener 4:5/91

Radford, Albert E. 1986. Fundamentals of Plant Systematics. Harper & Row, NY. 498 pp.

Ranelli, Jack. 1986. The Melon Sword puts on a show. FAMA 8/86.

Ranelli, Jack, Mayer, John (photos). The mighty sword. An attention getter. FAMA 7/88.

Rataj, Karel. 1981. The Pygmy Chain Sword Plant, an easy to grow foreground plant. TFH 11/81.

Rataj, Karel. 1988. The beautiful Echinodorus macrophyllus. TFH 7/88.

Rataj, Karel. 1988.Echinodorus quadricostatus. TFH 10/88. 

Rataj, Karel. 1999. Echinodorus multiflorus. TFH 8/99.

Raven, Peter H., Ray F. Evert and Helena Curtis. 1976 2d ed.. Biology of Plants. Worth Publishers, Inc., NY. 685 pp.

Riehl, Rudiger & Hans A. Baensch. 1987. Aquarium Atlas, v. 1. MERGUS, Germany. 992 pp.

Riehl, Rudiger & Hans A. Baensch, 1996. Aquarium Atlas, v. 3. MERGUS, Germany. 1103 pp.

Roe, Colin D. 1967. A Manual of Aquarium Plants. Shirley Aquatics, England. 111 pp.

Stemmermann, Lani. 1981. A Guide to Pacific Wetland Plants. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu. 118 pp.

Stodola, Jiri. 1967. Encyclopedia of Water Plants. T.F.H. Publications, NJ. 368 pp.