Broadleaf Sword vs River Buttercup

Both plants overlap around the midground, which is the biggest reason they belong in the same comparison.

Broadleaf Sword is a rosette / crown plant that usually reaches about 50 cm tall by 40 cm wide. River Buttercup is a stolon / runner plant that usually reaches about 15 cm tall by 20 cm wide.

Their benefit profile differs enough that the better choice depends more heavily on what the rest of the tank needs.

The strongest overlap signals are practical: they overlap strongly in placement, especially around the midground.

Choose Broadleaf Sword when its exact growth habit fits the open space you have and you want the finished scape to lean toward its shape, texture, or spread.

Broadleaf Sword is the easier keep when you want the simpler option.

Broadleaf Sword makes more sense in lower-light scapes.

Broadleaf Sword gives you more propagation flexibility through adventitious plantlets and rhizome division and side shoots / offsets.

Broadleaf Sword also suits keepers who want low light and no added CO2, with moderate growth, low maintenance, and beginner difficulty.

Choose River Buttercup when its shape, mature size, or planting style gives the scape a cleaner finish than forcing Broadleaf Sword into the same role.

River Buttercup is the tidier fit when space is limited.

River Buttercup fits a routine built around high light and recommended added CO2, with moderate growth, moderate maintenance, and intermediate difficulty.

Role overlap lands at 22/100 and care similarity lands at 64/100. Treat those numbers as a shortcut for the decision, not as a replacement for looking at mature size and placement.

Broadleaf Sword is rooted in substrate with nutrient-rich substrate preferred and feeds mainly as a root feeder. River Buttercup is rooted in substrate with nutrient-rich substrate preferred and feeds mainly as a mixed feeder.

Lighting expectations are different enough that they do not drop into the same setup equally well.

Also watch that their mature height diverges enough that they stop being true one-for-one replacements; one of them casts noticeably more shade, so the effect on the tank feels different.

If you need a true substitute, keep looking. This pair is more useful as a contrast because the plants ask for different layout decisions once they mature.

A practical way to decide is to imagine the tank six months from now. The better plant is the one that still fits the same space after several trims, not the one that only looks right on planting day.

Broadleaf Sword and River Buttercup look like a comparison pair on the surface, but they usually serve different jobs in a planted tank. The smarter decision is to start from the layout problem you are solving, then choose the plant that belongs in that role instead of comparing them as direct substitutes.