Scientific Name |
Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms |
Common Name |
Waterhyacinth |
Family |
Pontederiaceae (Pickerelweed) |
Class |
Monocot |
Description |
Floating rosette, showy purple flower, propagates vegetatively by
daughter plant production |
US Distribution |
Gulf coast states, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Sacremento River
Delta (California) |
Worldwide Distribution |
Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, native to Amazon basin |
Ecology |
Floating mat to rooted in moist soil, seedlings do best on mudflat or
moist soil |
Economic Importance |
Most important nuisance aquatic plant worldwide, and in US ($5M/yr in
Florida) |
Ecological Importance |
Major negative impact on aquatic ecosystems |
Notes |
Northern range limited by heavy freezing |