Echinodorus Horizontalis

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.

At a glance

• Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
• Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
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• Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
• We ship within the United States only.

Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.

The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.

Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.

How it works

• Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
• Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
• We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.

Good to know

• Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
• Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
• Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.

The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.

Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.

Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.

Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.