Water Hyacinth (redirected from Eichornia)

water hyacinth: see pickerelweed.

---

water hyacinth

Common water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

(credit: W.H. Hodge)

Any of about five species of aquatic plants that make up the genus Eichhornia of the pickerelweed family (Pontederiaceae). They are native mainly to the New World tropics. Some species float in shallow water; others are rooted in muddy streambanks and lakeshores. All have slender rootstocks, feathery roots, rosettes of stalked leaves, and flowers arranged in spikes or clusters. The common water hyacinth (E. crassipes) is the most widespread. The leafstalk is spongy and inflated, and the upper lobes of its purple flowers have blue and yellow markings. It reproduces quickly, often clogging slow-flowing streams. It is used as an ornamental in outdoor pools and aquariums.

---

Water Hyacinth 

(Eichornia crassipes; formerly E. speciosa), a perennial herbaceous aquatic plant of the family Pontederiaceae. The stem is short, with rosettes of oval leaves. The leaf petioles are filled with air and inflated like bubbles to ensure that the plant floats on the water surface. The rhizomes are long, so that if the water dries out, the plant takes root in the muddy bottom. The flowers are in a spicate inflorescence with a funnelform lilac perianth of six lobes and six stamens. The fruit is a capsule.

The water hyacinth is native to tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America. It has spread to the fresh waters of all tropical lands. A pernicious aquatic weed, it forms dense thickets in rivers, obstructing navigation and contaminating drainage and irrigation systems. The water hyacinth is controlled by mechanical and chemical methods; in some countries it is used as fertilizer or livestock feed.