Louisiana Plant ID | Eichornia crassipes (water hyacinth)

FAMILY: PONTEDERIACEAE

ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:

LEAVES: thick, leathery; round to oval, shiny green; up to 10 inches in diameter (although smaller leaves are common); held upright; balloon-like petioles swollen with spongy tissue

FLOWER: blue-purple or lilac-colored with a yellow spot; large (2-3 inches) and attractive

FRUIT: three-celled capsule with small, ribbed seeds.

TWIGS:

BARK:

FORM:perennial aquatic herb; floating; forms dense mats that covers waterways

HABITAT: found in a wide variety of wetland types: lakes, streams, ponds, waterways, ditches, and backwater areas

WETLAND DESIGNATION: Obligate Wetland (OBL): Almost always occurs in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region

RANGE: southeast US, California

USES: severe environmental and economic problem in all of the Gulf Coast states

Best Recognition Features:

floating, choking mats
considered the world's worst aquatic plant

School of Renewable Natural Reources	Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours Dr. Chris S. Reid, Project Director \| creid4@lsu.edu LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA © 2003-2020 website problems or broken links: mbowen@agcenter.lsu.edu page revised: 15-Jan-2020 4:11 PM msb	LSU AgCenter
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