Water Hyacinth

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a free-floating perennial plant that is considered one of the world’s most invasive aquatic plants [9]. Native to the Amazon Basin of South America, this plant was first introduced to the United States in 1884 for its beautiful flowers and is now found in over half of the United States [3]. Water hyacinth can clog waterways, negatively impact native species, and harbor disease-transmitting insects, such as mosquitos [9].