Eichhornia crassipes

Basic information
Scientific name	Eichhornia crassipes	Click to magnify
Common names	Water hyacinth
Higher taxon	Pontederiaceae, Commelinales, Liliopsida, Magnoliophyta
Natural range	South America
Habitat	Various freshwater environment, such as lake, pond, rice field, swamp, river, etc.

Invasion information
Range in Japan	Central to Southern Japan. Hachijojima Is. (Izu Islands). Especially abundant in Kyushu and Shikoku Islands.
Origin	USA
Date	Imported to Japan around 1880-1900. Established by 1972.
Route	Deliberate: as ornamental plant and cattle feed. Now distributed for ornamental, cleaning up water, plant food, etc.
Impact	Competition against native species and crop (rice). Disturbance of river transport. Carrying plant pests (pest insects, mites, virus, etc.) Native organism(s) affected: Aquatic plants, rice, etc.
Regulation in Japan	Keeping of this species in Saga Pref. are controled by a prefectural ordinance. Import to Australia is prohibited.
Introduced range in other countries	South Korea, Taiwan, N America, W Europe, Africa, Oceania, Hawaii

Reference

Notes

DECO (ed) (2006) Dictionary of Alien Species. Tokyo-Shoseki, Tokyo. (in Jpn)
Hotta et al. (1989) Useful Plants of the World. Heibonsha, Tokyo. (in Jpn)
GBIF Portal http://data.gbif.org/welcome.htm
Jpn. Assoc. Advance. Phyto-Regul. & Inst. Contr. Agrochem., Minist. Agr., China (2000) Chinese Colored Weed Illustrated Book. Zenkoku-Noson-Kyoiku-Kyokai, Tokyo. (in Jpn)
Osada (1976) Colored Illustrations of Naturalized Plants of Japan. Hoikusha, Tokyo (in Jpn)
Satake et al. (1982) Wild Flowers of Japan, Herbaceous Plants [I]. Heibonsha, Tokyo. (in Jpn)
Shimizu (2003) Naturalized Plants of Japan. Heibonsha, Tokyo. (in Jpn)
JWRC (ed) (2008) A Photographic Guide to the Invasive Alien Species in Japan. Heibonsha. (in Jpn)
etc.

Assigned as 100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species and 100 of the Japanese Worst Invasive Alien Species.