Water hyacinth
Eichhornia crassipes
Habitat
Ponds, fishing lakes, ditches and canals.
Key ID features
A floating water plant with wide, thick, glossy, oval leaves with a buoyant bulb at its base.
It has one pink/purple flower spike.
It is a very fast grower, forming dense mats that can spread quickly across whole lakes and ponds.
Distribution
Around 25 sites across Great Britain but rarely survives the frosts.
Impacts
Causes flooding by blocking watercourses and drainage channels. Can cover vast areas in a short time, choking the entire water body and outcompeting native species.
Do’s & Don’ts
DON’T break the law - Be plant wise - don’t dump invasive non-native aquatic plants in the wild or transfer to other ponds. If you cause it to spread you may be guilty of an offence under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement & Permitting) Order 2019. You are not banned from having these in your pond if you already have them, but you are required to take care to compost them well.
DON’T buy from any outlets for aquariums and water gardens. It is banned from sale in the UK.
DO dispose of invasive non-native plants responsibly – leave to dry in a sunny area 3m away from water. Can be composted or burned (in line with local restrictions) once completely dried.
More Information
For more information visit the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat website.