Pontederia crassipes, commonly known as common water hyacinth, is an aquatic
plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world. It is the sole
species of the subgenus Oshunae within the genus Pontederia.
Water hyacinth is a free-floating perennial aquatic plant (or hydrophyte)
native to tropical and subtropical South America. With broad, thick, glossy,
ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as
3 ft in height. The leaves are 4–8 inches across on a stem, which is floating
by means of buoyant bulb-like nodules at its base above the water surface. They
have long, spongy, bulbous stalks. The feathery, freely hanging roots are
purple-black. An erect stalk supports a single spike of 8–15 conspicuously
attractive flowers, mostly lavender to pink in color with six petals. When not
in bloom, water hyacinth may be mistaken for frogbit (Limnobium spongia) or
Amazon frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum).
One of the fastest-growing plants known, water hyacinth reproduces primarily
by way of runners or stolons, which eventually form daughter plants. Each plant
additionally can produce thousands of seeds each year, and these seeds can
remain viable for more than 28 years. Common water hyacinths are vigorous
growers, and mats can double in size in one to two weeks. In terms of plant
count rather than size, they are said to multiply by more than a hundredfold in
number in a matter of 23 days.
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