Alternate name: Common Water Hyacinth

Family: Pontederiaceae, Pickerelweed view all from this family

Description Introduced. A floating, highly invasive aquatic with a spike of showy, bluish-purple or lavender, funnel-shaped flowers.
Flowers: about 2" (5 cm) wide and long; 6-lobed, the upper lobe larger with a conspicuous yellow spot; sepals similar to the petals; stamens 6.
Leaves: 1-5" (2.5-12.5 cm) broad, roundish or kidney-shaped, bright green, shiny; petioles with inflated "bulbs" filled with spongy, air-filled tissue that act as floats.
Height: aquatic, with flower stalk to 16" (40 cm) above water.

Flower All year.

Habitat Swamps, fresh water marshes, streams, lakes, ditches.

Range South America native; introduced to the United States and naturalized mainly in the Southeast, from Virginia south to Florida; west to Texas and Missouri; also reported in New York, Arizona, and California.

Discussion An introduced tropical plant, Water Hyacinth spreads rapidly, clogging waterways and destroying aquatic habitats. It may have some potential for removing excessive nutrients from overly enriched aquatic systems and can screen heavy metals and other toxins from polluted water. In spite of these good qualities, this is one of the worst noxious plant pests in our southern waterways and it does far more harm than good.