Helanthium bolivianum 'Angustifolius'

Narrow-leaf swordplant

Helanthium bolivianum 'Angustifolius'

Narrow-leaf swordplant

  • Very narrow, long leaves
  • Freshly green coloration
  • Fast propagation by runners
  • Especially suited for the nature aquarium style
  • Rather rarely available
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Description

This long- and narrow-leaved plant resembles Vallisneria nana but belongs to the "chain swords" of the genus Helanthium. It entered the aquarium hobby in Europe in the 1960s under the name Echinodorus angustifolius. Nowadays it is rather rarely available. It is an amphibious plant that's said to originate in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. When it falls dry, it develops its emersed stage with much shorter, lanceolate aerial leaves and inflorescences with white flowers. The light to medium green, strap-shaped underwater leaves get more than 50 cm long and about 3-4 mm wide. This rosette plant sprouts long runners with a chain of many young plants above the bottom. It is the wild type of the cultivar 'Vesuvius' that was selected in the nursery Oriental in Singapore.

The Narrow-leaf swordplant is a quite easy, fast growing aquarium plant. Medium lighting is sufficient, the favourable temperatures lie between 20 and 28 °C and the carbonate hardness may reach about 12 °KH. As well as other plants of the Alismataceae family, it benefits much from a nutrient-rich bottom. An adequate iron supply is important to prevent chlorosis (pale green new leaves). Favourable conditions lead to rampant growth of runners that can be cut off before they get out of hand.

Helanthium bolivianum 'Angustifolius' looks decorative as a grass-like, freshly green stand in the background of an aquarium. The long leaves look especially well in tall tanks (more than 60 cm high). In lower aquariums they form long floating swathes beneath the surface. This classic aquarium plant is occasionally used for aquascapes in the Japanese nature aquarium style.

Helanthium bolivianum "Angustifolius", better known under its former name Echinodorus angustifolius, originates probably from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. Even though the plant grows quite high when submersed it is counted among the "smaller" sword plants forming runners, which have been placed in a genus of their own (Helanthium) different from the genus Echinodorus. Christel Kasselmann and Gitte Petersen identified H. bolivianum "Angustifolius" as a triploid form of Helanthium bolivianum (= Echinodorus bolivianus) by counting its chromosomes. In Europe, this Helanthium species has been known since the sixties of the last century, whereas it is still quite new to the hobby in the USA. (read more)

Synonyms Echinodorus angustifolius Rataj
Complete botanical name Helánthium boliviánum (Rusby) Lehtonen & Myllys
Family Alismataceae
Genus Helanthium
Difficulty easy
Usage Background, Midground
Growth fast
pH value 5 - 7
Temperature tolerance 10 - 30°C
Carbonate hardness 0 - 14°dKH
General hardness 0 - 30°dGH
Propagation Runners
Can grow emersed? yes
Source Flowgrow
Synonyms
Echinodorus angustifolius Rataj
Complete botanical name
Helánthium boliviánum (Rusby) Lehtonen & Myllys
Family
Alismataceae
Genus
Helanthium
Difficulty
easy
Usage
Background, Midground
Growth
fast
pH value
5 - 7
Temperature tolerance
10 - 30°C
Carbonate hardness
0 - 14°dKH
General hardness
0 - 30°dGH
Propagation
Runners
Can grow emersed?
yes
Source
Flowgrow

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