The Aponogeton crispus, or ruffled sword plant is native to central Sri Lanka. It grows in clear 20-100 cm deep, still or running water. It isquite hardy and fast growing. It tolerates a wide range of light, waterconditions and growing media. It withstands catfish scurrying, smallfish nibbling and snail infestations. It is also unusual in that itwill grow almost continuously without the characteristic rest period ofother Aponogeton species.

It has a fibrous, cylindrical rhizome(up to 20 cm in diameter). Theleaves are brittle looking, long, narrow lance shaped with a ruffledouter margin. Leaves are dark green to reddish brown. It doesn'tdevelop floating leaves and maximum size is about 25 cm. It can berooted in gravel or potted with sterile potting soil.

Propagation of this Aponogeton is usually by seed, however I have hadmine split at the rhizome. The flower stalk starts out conical inappearance on a slender stem. It grows quickly and emerges from thewater. It blooms from the base to the tip over a few days, shedding athin dry film as it opens. The long(about 30+cm)vertical inflorescenceconsists of a thin stalk covered on the distal 8-16 cm with numerous tinywhite or pink flowers. It has a nice, sweet chamomile-like scent.

The flower lasts between one and two weeks. Seed pods form along thestalk following pollination.(A feather brushed along the flower onseveral different days may achieve pollination.) Germination can beachieved by placing seeds in a 4 - 6 cm shallow tray and covering seedswith water (room temp.). Seeds should germinate anywhere from a fewdays to a few weeks. Two tiny leaves will emerge first, followed byroots. When roots are a little developed, young plants can betransferred to another tray with a bed of sterile peat moss covered witha few inches of water.

A. crispus is a heavy feeder and thrives in a "well established" tank. Temperatures should be between 20-30 degrees C.

It is readily available in shops at reasonable prices. It is oftenhybridized with other species such as A. undulatus and marketed as A.crispus. Hybrids are often sterile but can still be very attractive plants.