Photo courtesy of J. Madsen
Photo courtesy of J. Madsen
| 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 |