Anchored Water Hyacinth forms dense water beds weighing nearly 200 tons per acre when healthy. The mats lower light penetration and dissolved oxygen levels, killing off native aquatic plants and affecting fish communities. The plant serves as a vector for disease by providing a habitat for mosquitoes and parasitic flatworms. The mats can impede boat traffic, and clog irrigation canals and intake pumps. The Hyacinth spreads easily when pieces of the flower mat break off from wind, current, or animal feeding and are transported to a new location where they take root.
Anchored Water Hyacinth (listed under Eichhornia azurea) is on the Texas Dept. of Agriculture’s List of Noxious Plants and on Texas Parks and Wildlife’s list of Invasive, Prohibited and Exotic species which are illegal to sell, distribute or import into Texas.
For information on how to eradicate this invasive, view our statement on herbicide use and preferred alternatives for invasive plants.
You can replace this invasive plant with native alternatives. Here are some plants that make superior replacements.
Match your location on the Texas map to the color squares on the replacement plants below to find suitable replacements for your ecoregion.
State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
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