Eichhornia crassipes
Water Hyacinth

Uses

Toxic parts

Eating the plant, which is reported to contain HCN, alkaloid, and triterpenoid, may induce itching^[1]. Fresh plants contain prickly crystals^[1]. Plants sprayed with 2,4-D may accumulate lethal doses of nitrates^[1].

Edible uses

Notes

Young leaves and petioles - cooked^[2]^[3]^[4]. Virtually tasteless^[2]^[3]. Said to be used as a carotene-rich table vegetable in Formosa. Javanese sometimes cook and eat the green parts and inflorescence^[1]. Flower spikes - cooked^[2]^[3].

Leaves

Unknown use

Material uses

Water hyacinths are potentially an excellent source of biomass. Through an anaerobic fermentation process, polluted hyacinths can be converted to the natural gas methane - a costly process that may become more economical as supplies of underground natural gas are depleted^[1]. Dried and cleansed plants can be used as fertilizer and plant mulch^[2]^[1]. Eventually, living aquatic plants might serve aboard long-distance manned spacecraft, absorbing wastes and converting carbon dioxide to oxygen, then being themselves converted into food^[1]. The plant can be cultivated for use in wastewater treatment, and can be incorporated into a system where the biomass is harvested for fuel production^[1]. Since this biomass is a by-product of wastewater treatment, it has a positive environmental impact, and thus poses no threat as competitor to food, feed, or fibre-producing plants^[1]. Wilted water hyacinth, mixed with earth, cow dung, and woodashes in the Chinese compost fashion, can yield useful compost in just two months^[1]. Although potential yields are incredible, so are the costs of removal or attempted eradication of this water weed. Standing crops have been estimated to produce 100-120 tonnes per hectare per year^[1].. Under ideal conditions, each plant can produce 248 offspring in 90 days^[1].

Water hyacinth roots naturally absorb pollutants, including such toxic chemicals as lead, mercury, and strontium 90 (as well as some organic compounds believed to be carcinogenic) in concentrations 10,000 times that in the surrounding water^[1].

In Africa, fresh plants are used as cushions in canoes and to plug holes in charcoal sacks^[1].

Unknown part

Biomass

Pollution

Medicinal uses(Warning!)

There are no medicinal uses listed for Eichhornia crassipes.

Ecology

Ecosystem niche/layer

Ecological Functions

Nitrogen fixer

Forage

Nothing listed.

Shelter

Nothing listed.

Propagation

Seed - Seeds can tolerate submersion or desiccation for 15 years and still germinate^[1]. Scarification, but not light, may be required for germination^[1].

Practical Plants is currently lacking information on propagation instructions of Eichhornia crassipes. Help us fill in the blanks! Edit this page to add your knowledge.

Cultivation

240, 200

Prefers growing in a sunny but cool pool^[5]. Water Hyacinth is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 82 to 270cm, an annual temperature range of 21.1 to 27.2°C and an estimated pH in the range of 5.0 to 7.5^[1]. The leaves are killed by frost, and plants cannot tolerate water temperatures in excess of 34°C^[1]. This species is not very cold-hardy, tolerating temperatures down to about 0°c^[5]. It requires greenhouse protection over winter in Britain^[6]. Plants can be grown outdoors in the warmer parts of the year and then be potted up in moist compost during long spells of cold weather^[5]. A very invasive weed of water courses in the tropics^[5], causing great environmental problems in many areas where it has become naturalized. Subsistence farmers in Bangladesh face disaster when rafts of water hyacinth weighing up to 300 tonnes per hectare float over their rice paddies. As the floods recede, the weeds remain on the germinating rice, thus killing it^[1]. Engineers have estimated that the Panama Canal would be impassable within three years without continuous aquatic weed control measures^[1].

Azotobacter chroococcum, a Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, may be concentrated around the bases of the petioles but doesn't fix Nitrogen unless the plant is suffering extreme Nitrogen-deficiency^[1].

Crops

Problems, pests & diseases

Associations & Interactions

There are no interactions listed for Eichhornia crassipes. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.

Polycultures & Guilds

There are no polycultures listed which include Eichhornia crassipes.

Descendants

Cultivars

Varieties

None listed.

Subspecies

None listed.

Full Data

This table shows all the data stored for this plant.

References

? ^1.00^1.01^1.02^1.03^1.04^1.05^1.06^1.07^1.08^1.09^1.10^1.11^1.12^1.13^1.14^1.15^1.16^1.17^1.18^1.19^1.20^1.21^1.22 Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - (1983-00-00)
? ^2.0^2.1^2.2^2.3^2.4^2.5 Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana ISBN 0-00-634436-4 (1976-00-00)
? ^3.0^3.1^3.2^3.3 Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (1984-00-00)
? ^4.0^4.1 Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. ISBN 0-88192-527-6 (2002-00-00)
? ^5.0^5.1^5.2^5.3 Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. ISBN 0-330-37376-5 (1998-00-00)
? F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)
? ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press (1964-00-00)
? Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)

"image:Eichhornia crassipes A.jpg|248px" cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.

[PFAFimport-269-1] ? ^1.00^1.01^1.02^1.03^1.04^1.05^1.06^1.07^1.08^1.09^1.10^1.11^1.12^1.13^1.14^1.15^1.16^1.17^1.18^1.19^1.20^1.21^1.22 Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - (1983-00-00)

[PFAFimport-144-2] ? ^2.0^2.1^2.2^2.3^2.4^2.5 Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana ISBN 0-00-634436-4 (1976-00-00)

[PFAFimport-177-3] ? ^3.0^3.1^3.2^3.3 Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (1984-00-00)

[PFAFimport-272-4] ? ^4.0^4.1 Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. ISBN 0-88192-527-6 (2002-00-00)

[PFAFimport-260-5] ? ^5.0^5.1^5.2^5.3 Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. ISBN 0-330-37376-5 (1998-00-00)

[PFAFimport-1-6] ? F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (1951-00-00)

[PFAFimport-50-7] ? ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press (1964-00-00)

[PFAFimport-200-8] ? Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (1992-00-00)

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

Article is incomplete	Yes +
Article requires citations	No +
Article requires cleanup	Yes +
Belongs to family	Pontederiaceae +
Belongs to genus	Eichhornia +
Functions as	Nitrogen fixer +
Has binomial name	Eichhornia crassipes +
Has common name	Water Hyacinth +
Has drought tolerance	Intolerant +
Has edible part	Leaves +
Has edible use	Unknown use +
Has flowers of type	Hermaphrodite +
Has image	Eichhornia crassipes A.jpg +
Has lifecycle type	Perennial +
Has material part	Unknown part +
Has material use	Biomass + and Pollution +
Has primary image	Eichhornia crassipes A.jpg +
Has search name	eichhornia crassipes + and water hyacinth +
Has shade tolerance	Light shade +
Has soil ph preference	Acid +, Neutral + and Alkaline +
Has soil texture preference	Sandy +, Loamy + and Clay +
Has sun preference	Full sun +
Has taxonomic rank	Species +
Has taxonomy name	Eichhornia crassipes +
Has water requirements	moderate +
Is taxonomy type	Species +
PFAF cultivation notes migrated	No +
PFAF edible use notes migrated	No +
PFAF material use notes migrated	No +
PFAF medicinal use notes migrated	Yes +
PFAF propagation notes migrated	No +
PFAF toxicity notes migrated	No +
Tolerates nutritionally poor soil	No +
Uses mature size measurement unit	Meters +
Has subobjectThis property is a special property in this wiki.	Eichhornia crassipes +, Eichhornia crassipes + and Eichhornia crassipes +