Helanthium bolivianum 'latifolius'

Helanthium bolivianum

A form of the Bolivian chain sword long known as Echinodorus latifolius; underwater it is almost indistinguishable from the neighbouring forms of the group, its rosettes looking slightly stiffer than in the 'quadricostatus' form.

Light: low
Difficulty: easy
Height: 10 – 15 cm (3.9 – 5.9 in)
Temperature: 10 – 30 °C (50 – 86 °F)

Leaf colour: green
Plant type: rosette
Growth rate: fast
CO₂ demand: low
Tolerates light: medium – high
pH: 5 – 7
Carbonate hardness: 0 – 14 °dKH
General hardness: 0 – 30 °dGH
Placement: midground, nano tank +3 midground, nano tank, foreground, carpet, background
Propagation: runners
Grows emersed: yes

Appearance

Underwater it is hard to tell apart from the other forms of the group; the rosettes look slightly stiffer than in the 'quadricostatus' form. Above water it has narrowly lanceolate, pointed leaves, as in the emersed Helanthium tenellum and 'Angustifolius'. The flowers have obliquely drooping petals.

Keeping

Easy, growth fast, light medium to strong, CO₂ 10–40 mg/l, temperature 20–26 °C. Forms a grassy lawn, propagates by runners.

Placement

Midground, nano aquarium, foreground in a group and as a carpet.

Trade names

Known for many years as Echinodorus latifolius. Also often sold under other names, for instance 'Echinodorus magdalenensis', which are also used for other forms of the group.

Water conditions match

The water suits 841 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.

Butterflyfish Julii Corydoras Red-finned Parotocinclus Gastromyzon monticola Egg-shaped Goldfish Flame Tetra Gardner's Killifish African Tetra Hypsolebias picturatus Common Zacco Labeo Bicolor Gambusia Flying barb Gastromyzon scitulus Albino Zebra Danio Geophagus Brokopondo Homaloptera bilineata Red-tailed Rasbora Boraras naevus Lampeye Killifish Spotted Raphael Catfish Corydoras melanotaenia Festivum cichlid Pseudomugil paskai

Will eat this plant

These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.

Bengal Loach Zebra Loach Burmese Border Loach Emperor Botia Marbled Headstander Pellegrin's Leporinus Leporinus striatus False Black Tetra Common Metynnis Mylossoma duriventre Red Whiptail Catfish Moonlight Gourami Melanotaenia parva

Will uproot it

These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.

Marble Loach Peacock Eel Forktail Loach Guntea Loach Long-nosed Loach Horseface Loach Pearlscale Black Moor Goldfish Shubunkin Painted Pleco Featherfin Synodontis Reddish Mystus Catfish Blue Acara Geophagus altifrons Geophagus winemilleri Pearl Cichlid Red-spotted Cichlid Haplochromis philander Red Chromide Jack Dempsey cichlid

Matching water does not mean the fish will leave the plant alone.

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Other scientific names: Alisma bolivianum Rusby, Echinodorus bolivianus (Rusby) Holm-Niels., Echinodorus angustifolius Rataj, Echinodorus latifolius (Seub.) Rataj, Echinodorus magdalenensis, Echinodorus quadricostatus var. xinguensis, Echinodorus sp. tortifolia, Alisma bolivianum, Alisma tenellum latifolium, Echinodorus angustifolius, Echinodorus australis, Echinodorus austroamericanus, Echinodorus bolivianus, Echinodorus isthmicus, Echinodorus latifolius, Echinodorus quadricostatus, Echinodorus quadricostatus magdalenensis, Echinodorus quadricostatus xinguensis, Echinodorus tenellus apanecae, Echinodorus tenellus latifolius, Echinodorus xinguensis
Helanthium bolivianum: (Rusby) Lehtonen & Myllys
Family: Alismataceae