Photo: Salvatore vitale / Public domain

Amazon Sword Care

Echinodorus grisebachii · Alismataceae

🐾 Pet-safe 🎯 Easy ☀️ Medium, bright indirect 💧 Every 7 days

🕮 6 min read 🕓 Last reviewed: 2026-08-23

Care at a glance

Light

Medium, bright indirect

Temperature

22–28 °C (72–82 °F)

Soil

a nutrient-rich aquarium substrate (or attached to wood/rock)

Difficulty

Easy

Mature size

30–50 cm (12–20 in)

Pet safety

Pet-safe

Care effort Medium

The short version

Beginner-friendly and forgiving.
Give it Medium, bright indirect.
Water every 7–7 days.
Safe around cats and dogs.

The Amazon Sword (Echinodorus grisebachii) is an aquatic plant grown submerged in freshwater aquariums. It comes from South America and is rated Easy to keep, reaching 30–50 cm. Here is how to grow it underwater — lighting, substrate, CO₂, placement and propagation.

Also known asEchinodorus grisebachiiアマゾンソード皇冠草Espada amazónicaÉpée d'Amazonie

📋Quick facts

Growth rate	Moderate
Mature size	30–50 cm (12–20 in)
Native region	South America
Plant family	Alismataceae
Toxicity	Non-toxic
Air-purifying	No
Ideal for	beginners, homes with pets, filling a corner

⚖️Pros & cons

Pros

Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Hard to kill; great for beginners
Big, room-defining presence

Cons

Needs high humidity to look its best

🐟Growing it in an aquarium

Keep the water at 22–28 °C. Stable, gently moving water and regular partial water changes keep it healthy; sudden swings in temperature or chemistry cause melting.

Light

Give it Medium, bright indirect-equivalent aquarium lighting. Low-tech tanks suit undemanding species; brighter light (and often CO₂) brings out the best colour and compact growth but also feeds algae, so balance it carefully.

Soil

Plant it in a nutrient-rich aquarium substrate (or attached to wood/rock). Rooted species are hungry feeders — use root tabs or a liquid aquarium fertiliser (and CO₂ for demanding types). Epiphytes like Anubias, Java fern and Bucephalandra must NOT be buried: tie or glue their rhizome to wood or rock, or they rot.

Its size and habit suit a spot in the foreground, midground or background depending on how tall it grows; trim and replant tops to keep it dense.

✂️How to propagate, step by step

Spring and early summer, during active growth, give the best success. Here is how to do it, step by step:

division at repotting

Water the plant the day before to reduce stress on the roots.
Slide it out of its pot and gently shake off the loose soil.
Tease the root ball into sections, each with healthy roots and a few shoots.
Pot each section into fresh mix at its original depth.
Water them in and keep out of direct sun for a week while they recover.

plantlets (runners)

Look for baby plantlets forming on the runners or stems.
Leave them attached and rest each one on a small pot of moist mix.
Once it roots into the pot (a couple of weeks), snip it free from the runner.
Or cut a well-formed plantlet and root it in water first, then pot it up.
Grow the young plant on in bright, indirect light.

seed

Sow fresh seed onto the surface of moist, fine seed-starting mix.
Cover lightly only if the seed needs darkness; most need warmth of 20–25 °C.
Keep humid under a clear cover in bright, indirect light.
Germination ranges from days to months depending on the species — be patient.
Prick seedlings out into their own small pots once they have a few true leaves.

🔬Classification

Plant type	Aquatic plant
Genus	Echinodorus
Family	Alismataceae · Alismataceae
Native to	South America

🩺Common problems

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Algae on leaves or glass	Too much light or excess nutrients in the water	Cut the lighting period, reduce feeding, and add algae-eating clean-up crew.
Melting or dissolving leaves	Shock from a new tank (common when settling in)	Be patient — trim mushy leaves; new submerged growth usually follows.
Yellowing leaves	Usually overwatering or poor drainage	Let the soil dry more between waterings and make sure the pot drains.

🩺 Plant Doctor →

🐛Pests & prevention

The usual indoor pests are spider mites (fine webbing, speckled leaves), mealybugs (white cotton-wool tufts), scale (small brown bumps), and fungus gnats (tiny flies from soggy soil). Inspect any new plant before it joins the others, wipe the leaves now and then, and let the topsoil dry to keep gnats away. At the first sign, isolate the plant, wipe or rinse off what you can, and treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil every week until it is clear.

🐾Is it safe for pets?

Good news for pet owners: the Amazon Sword is considered non-toxic to both cats and dogs by the ASPCA. It is one of the safer choices for homes with animals, though eating any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.

Toxicity information is a general guide based on ASPCA data. If your pet or child may have eaten any part of a plant, contact a vet or poison control right away.