Amazon sword

["Charter" <charter at charter-terminal_com>]

> Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 09:51:44 -0400 
> From: "Kinney, Travis" <kinney at pdtarchs_com>
> Subject: Amazon sword 
> 
> Can I take the Amazon sword from my tank and plant it in a soil/ water mix
> like Erika did with out it dying? I have fuzz algae on this sword, and after
> reading Erika's post I thought maybe this would be a way to get the Amazon
> healthy and fuzz free. 
> 
> - -Travis
> Making presentation boards for a private school building interview.

That's pretty much what I did.  (I didn't want to risk sacrificing my own 
plants to my experimental impulse, so I bought a pair of "Mixed Swords" from 
Petsmart.)  After being plunked out in the open air, both of the swords 
dropped all of their leaves and grew new ones.  I think this might be a 
physiological requirement - my impression is that swords can either grow 
underwater leaves or open air leaves, and that one type cannot be repurposed 
to the other. 

I'm sure one of the more scientific list members can speak to this issue.  
Former liberal arts students like myself tend to say things like "Shoot, I 
dunno.  Try it and see what happens!" 

 - Erika