Echinodorus 'Oriental'

Echinodorus 'Oriental' is a richly coloured cultivar developed in Europe, selected for its ability to maintain deep burgundy-red to crimson leaf colouration consistently throughout the rosette with minimal light requirements compared to other red cultivars. Unlike some red swords where only young leaves show colour, the Oriental Sword maintains its red tones on most of its leaves under medium lighting, making it one of the most reliably vivid red-leaved Echinodorus available.

It forms a compact rosette reaching 20–35 cm, well suited to midground placement in tanks of 60 litres and above. The deep red leaf colour complements both light green and darker green companion plants effectively and creates strong colour contrast against natural hardscape elements. CO2 injection is beneficial for sustaining vigorous growth and enhancing the red pigmentation further.

The Oriental Sword is popular among aquascapers working with warm-toned layouts and is one of the most common red focal plants in Dutch-style aquariums, where vivid colour groupings define the visual structure of the design.

Light: Medium (40–70 PAR); one of the few red swords maintaining colour without high light. CO2: Beneficial (15–25 mg/L); deepens and extends red pigmentation throughout the rosette. Fertilisation: Root tabs every 3 months; liquid iron weekly is essential for sustained red colouration. Placement: Midground focal specimen; plant singly; keep crown fully exposed above substrate. Propagation: Daughter plants on flower stalks — remove once established with visible roots.