Echinodorus

The plants are annual or perennial, growing emersed, floating-leaved, or seasonally submersed, leaves glabrous to stellate-pubescent; rhizomes present or absent; stolons absent; corms absent; tubers absent. Roots not septate. Leaves sessile or petiolate; petioles triangular, rarely terete; blade with translucent markings as dots or lines present or absent, linear to lanceolate to ovate, base attenuate to cordate, margins entire or undulating, apex obtuse to acute. Inflorescences racemes or panicles, rarely umbels, of 1–18 whorls, erect or decumbent, emersed; bracts coarse, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces smooth or papillose along veins, apex obtuse to acute. Flowers bisexual, subsessile to pedicellate; bracts subtending pedicels, subulate to lanceolate, shorter than to longer than pedicels, apex obtuse to acute; pedicels ascending to recurved; receptacle convex; sepals recurved to spreading, herbaceous to leathery, sculpturing absent; petals white, entire; stamens 9–25; filaments linear, glabrous; pistils 15–250 or more, spirally arranged on convex receptacle, forming head, distinct; ovules 1; style terminal or lateral. Fruits plump, often longitudinally ribbed, sometimes flattened, rarely abaxially keeled, abaxial wings absent, lateral wings absent, glands often present.[4][5][6]

Echinodorus are by nature marsh and bog plants that can grow submersed. Many species are grown in aquariums. They prefer good light and grow best in a deep, nutrient-rich substrate. Most will grow in variable water conditions, though the majority need tropical or sub-tropical temperature ranges. Propagation is by division or by adventitious new plants developing on submerged flowering stems. The larger species make magnificent specimen plants for the larger aquarium, though they may form aerial leaves in good conditions. If the inflorescence forms submersed, small plantlets will form instead of flowers. If grown emersed and kept humid, flowers and seeds will normally readily form. The seeds can be grown in damp sand in warm, damp conditions. Additional CO₂ often helps in strong growth.[7][8][9][10]

Many species are popular in the aquarium or pond. The Amazon sword plants are one of the most popular aquarium plants for their attractive form and general hardiness.

A submerged culture system was developed for rapid micropropagation of this commercially important aquarium plant, ‘Amazon sword’ (Echinodorus ‘Indian Red’).[11]

The genus Baldellia seems to be very closely related. In the latest revision by Karel Rataj,[12] 62 species, 2 subspecies, and 2 varieties are listed.

All species of Echinodorus are variable according to hether they are growing emerse or submerged and their growing conditions. In addition they can hybridise in the wild or through artificial means. Many forms have been given subspecific status or as named forms in the aquarium trade. Accoording to aquarists some of these forms persist in all growing conditions.

As of May 2014, 30 species are accepted by authorities at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens:[13] Included in the list below are names accepted in previous versions but now regarded as synonyms.

Echinodorus grisebachii

1. Echinodorus angustifolius Rataj - syn of Helanthium bolivianum (Rusby) Lehtonen & Myllys
2. Echinodorus argentinensis Rataj - syn of Echinodorus grandiflorus (Cham. & Schltdl.) Micheli
3. Echinodorus aschersonianus Graebn. - syn of Echinodorus uruguayensis Arechav
4. Echinodorus berteroi (Spreng.) Fassett - from South Dakota to Argentina
5. Echinodorus bleherae or E. bleheri Rataj - syn of Echinodorus grisebachii Small
6. Echinodorus bracteatus Micheli - from Nicaragua to Ecuador
7. Echinodorus cordifolius (L.) Griseb. - from Illinois to Paraguay
8. Echinodorus cylindricus Rataj - Brazil
9. Echinodorus decumbens Kasselm. - Brazil
10. Echinodorus densinervis Somogyi - Brazil
11. Echinodorus eglandulosus Rataj - Brazil
12. Echinodorus emersus Lehtonen - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
13. Echinodorus floribundus (Seub.) Seub. - Veracruz to Argentina
14. Echinodorus gabrielii Rataj - Brazil
15. Echinodorus glaucus Rataj - Brazil, Bolivia
16. Echinodorus grandiflorus (Cham. & Schltdl.) Micheli - Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Florida
17. Echinodorus grisebachii Small - from Nicaragua to Brazil
18. Echinodorus heikobleheri Rataj - Brazil
19. Echinodorus horizontalis Rataj - from Guyana to Peru
20. Echinodorus inpai Rataj - Brazil
21. Echinodorus isthmicus Fassett - syn of Helanthium bolivianum (Rusby) Lehtonen & Myllys
22. Echinodorus lanceolatus Rataj - Brazil
23. Echinodorus longipetalus Micheli - from Suriname to Argentina
24. Echinodorus longiscapus Arechav. - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay
25. Echinodorus macrocarpus Rataj - syn of Echinodorus pubescens (Mart. ex Schult.f.) Seub. ex Warm. - Brazil
26. Echinodorus macrophyllus (Kunth) Micheli - Brazil, Bolivia
27. Echinodorus major (Micheli) Rataj - Brazil
28. Echinodorus nymphaeifolius (Griseb.) Buchenau - syn of Albidella nymphaeifolia (Griseb.) Pichon
29. Echinodorus opacus Rataj - syn of Echinodorus uruguayensis Arechav
30. Echinodorus osiris Rataj - syn of Echinodorus uruguayensis Arechav
31. Echinodorus ovalis C.Wright - syn of Echinodorus cordifolius (L.) Griseb
32. Echinodorus palaefolius (Nees & Mart.) J.F.Macbr. - Nayarit, Minas Gerais
33. Echinodorus paniculatus Micheli in A.L.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle - from Mexico to Argentina
34. Echinodorus reptilis Lehtonen - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
35. Echinodorus scaber Rataj - from Nicaragua to Paraguay
36. Echinodorus subalatus (Mart. ex Schult.f.) Griseb. - from Mexico to Paraguay; also Cuba
37. Echinodorus tenellus (Mart. ex Schult.f.) Buchenau - syn of Helanthium tenellum (Mart. ex Schult.f.) J.G.Sm. in N.L.Britton
38. Echinodorus trialatus Fassett - Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil
39. Echinodorus tunicatus Small - from Costa Rica to Bolivia
40. Echinodorus uruguayensis Arechav. - Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil
41. Echinodorus virgatus (Hook. & Arn.) Micheli - syn of Echinodorus palifolius (Nees & Mart.) J.F.Macbr

• Echinodorus Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
• Echinodorus - master list
• Swordplants
• Echinodorus species
• Shutting down the chaos engine — or, identifying some problematic Echinodorus (Alismataceae) types

• Lehtonen S and Myllys L. 2008. Cladistic analysis of Echinodorus (Alismataceae): simultaneous analysis of molecular and morphological data. Cladistics 24: 218–239.