What other names does water hyacinth have? Common aliases explained in one article

The family and genus of water hyacinth

Water hyacinth is a floating aquatic herbaceous plant belonging to the genus Eichhornia in the family Pontederiaceae.

The origin of water hyacinth

Water hyacinth is native to Brazil. Because it is controlled by natural biological enemies, it is scattered in water bodies only as an ornamental population. In 1844, at an exposition in the United States, it was hailed as the "lavender flower crown that beautifies the world." Since then, 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 fields at altitudes of 200-1500 m, and has also spread widely in tropical regions of Asia.

Morphological characteristics of water hyacinth

Floating herbaceous plant, 30-60 cm tall. The fibrous roots are well developed, brown-black, up to 30 cm long. The stem is very 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 water hyacinth are purplish blue. The corolla is slightly bilaterally symmetrical, light purplish red around the edge and blue in the middle, with a yellow round spot in the center of the blue. The base of the tepals is fused into a tube.

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