Pontederia crassipes (Eichhornia crassipes)
COMMON NAME | Common water
hyacinth |
TYPE | Aquatic Plant |
FAMILY | Pontederiaceae |
NOTES | Produces rosettes of
thick, leathery, ovate to rounded, glossy green leaves with inflated, bulbous
leaf petioles that act as floats. Plants spread rapidly by stolons to form a
dense mat of foliage (to 6” tall). Spikes of lilac to lavender flowers bloom
atop erect stalks to 6-9” tall in summer. Long greenish-purple roots dangle
downward from the plants, providing shelter and spawning areas for many small
fish. |
GEOGRAPHIC REGION | Native to tropical and sub-tropical
South America |
NATIVE HABITAT | A free-floating,
fresh water aquatic perennial |
WEB SOURCES |
