Echinodorus | |
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Echinodorus grisebachii in an aquarium | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Alismatales |
Family: | Alismataceae |
Genus: | Echinodorus Richard ex Engelmann in A. Gray, 1848 |
Echinodorus, commonly known as burhead[1] or Amazon sword,[citation needed] is a genus of plants in the family Alismataceae, native to the Western Hemisphere from the central United States to Argentina.[2][3] Its scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek echius – "rough husk" - and doros – "leathern bottle" - alluding to ovaries, which in some species are armed with persistent styles, forming prickly head of fruit. Some of the species are commonly cultivated in artificial aquatic habitats.