Bleherae

Buying this sword plant for a starter tank is the classic mistake. Grown specimens can exceed 60 cm in height and about as much in width, which rules out anything but a large aquarium; for a medium tank, Echinodorus grisebachii 'Parviflorus', which stays near 30 cm, is the plant to buy instead. Give it 22 to 26 °C, medium light and a background position with room behind it. Growth is fast and the plant is rated easy, so most of the work is deciding whether you have the space.

The naming history is worth knowing, because shops still get it wrong. It is filed as a form of Echinodorus grisebachii, with Echinodorus bleherae Rataj and Echinodorus bleheri Rataj as synonyms, Echinodorus rangeri as a trade name, and Echinodorus paniculatus as a name misapplied to it for years. The true E. paniculatus is a different plant and is seldom kept.

Where it came from is not settled either. It may be from Amazonia. Propagate it from the plantlets that appear on the flower stalk. The usual form in the hobby is triploid, so its flowers set no seed.