What Kind of Plant Is the Water Hyacinth? Get to Know This Aquatic Plant

The Family and Genus of the Water Hyacinth

The water hyacinth is a floating herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Eichhornia in the family Pontederiaceae.

The Origin of the Water Hyacinth

The water hyacinth is native to Brazil. Because it is controlled by natural enemies, it is scattered in water bodies only as an ornamental population. In 1844, at an exposition in the United States, it was praised as the "light purple corolla that beautifies the world." Since then, the water hyacinth has been introduced and cultivated as an ornamental plant.

It is widely distributed in the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins of China and in the provinces of South China. It grows in ponds, ditches and rice paddies at altitudes of 200-1500 m, and it has also spread widely in tropical regions of Asia.

Morphological Characteristics of the Water Hyacinth

A floating herb, 30-60 cm tall. The fibrous roots are well developed, brownish black, and up to 30 cm long. The stem is extremely short, with long stolons; the stolons are light green or tinged with purple, and after separating from the mother plant they grow into new plants.

The petals of the water hyacinth are purple-blue. The corolla is slightly bilaterally symmetrical, light purplish red around the edges and blue in the middle, with a yellow round spot in the center of the blue. The base of the perianth segments is fused into a tube.

The flowering period of the water hyacinth is from July to October, and the fruiting period is from August to November.