Echinodorus berteroi

Description

Echinodorus berteroi, an uncommon sword plant, differs significantly from other Echinodorus species. It is native to the Midwest United States, Argentina's Patagonia region, and the Caribbean Islands, typically found in temporary water bodies such as bogs and ponds that dry out for most of the year. As an annual plant, it completes its life cycle within a few months, from seed germination to fruit ripening and death when the location dries out. However, it can also be cultivated as a perennial. The submersed leaves are variable in shape, changing from band-shaped with short stems to lanceolate, narrowly ovate, and finally oval or heart-shaped with long stems. They are thin, fragile, and slightly transparent, often irregularly undulate and twisted with light green gridlike venation. New leaves are initially light green or reddish green and darken later. The floating and aerial leaves are longish ovate to roundish heart-shaped, with triangular leaf stalk cross-sections. Flower stalks grow upright and ramify, reaching up to 40 cm in height, resembling the inflorescence of Alisma. Flowers are small and inconspicuous, followed by a prickly infrutescence containing many nutlets with seeds that can germinate after at least one year if stored dry. Echinodorus berteroi is decorative when cultivated as a submersed plant but has the drawback of forming floating and aerial leaves, as well as inflorescence, under long-day conditions. Keeping the plant at short-day conditions can prevent this issue. It thrives in hard to soft water, moderate to high light intensities, and temperatures between 20-27°C. The plant can be propagated by seed, sowing dry nutlets with seeds in any container with water and substrate, such as a mixture of sand and loam. Seeds germinate after varying periods, and young plants are best cultivated submersed for larger, more decorative plants.