Asian water hyacinth (Pontederia hastata)

Asian water hyacinth (Pontederia hastata) is a species of plant in the Pontederiaceae, herbaceous, aquatic, erect, growing in colonies in wet environments with freshwater bodies, lakes, swamps, rivers and agricultural land and abandoned lands.

P. hastata is up to 120 cm tall, cylindrical leaf stalks and green in color. Leaves are heart-shaped or arrow-shaped, up to 25 cm long, up to 21 cm wide, green and thick. Inflorescences in panicles and grow on leaf stalks. Fan-shaped flowers, up to 3 cm wide, six-winged, blue in color, white stamens and yellow pollen. Flower stalks up to 3 cm long and white.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Commelinales
Family: Pontederiaceae
Genus: Pontederia L. in Sp. Pl.: 288 (1753)
Subgenus: Monochoria
Species: Pontederia hastata L. in Sp. Pl.: 288 (1753)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Calcarunia hastata (L.) Raf. in Med. Fl. 2: 106 (1830)
Carigola hastata (L.) Raf. in Fl. Tellur. 2: 10 (1837)
Monochoria hastata (L.) Solms in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 4: 523 (1883)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Monochoria chinensis Gand. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 66: 294 (1919 publ. 1920)
Monochoria dilatata (Banks) Kunth in Enum. Pl. 4: 134 (1843)
Monochoria hastifolia C.Presl in Reliq. Haenk. 1: 128 (1827)
Monochoria sagittata Kunth in Enum. Pl. 4: 134 (1843)
Pontederia dilatata Banks in M.Symes, Account Embassy Kingd. Ava: 471 (1800)
Pontederia sagittata Roxb. in Fl. Ind., ed. 1832. 2: 124 (1832)
Pontederia sagittifolia B.Heyne ex Wall. in Numer. List: n.° 5093 (1831)
Pontederia vaginalis Blanco in Fl. Filip.: 255 (1837)

PUBLICATIONS

Sharief, M.U. (ed.) (2024). Flora of India 28: 1-764. Botanical Survey of India.

VERNACULAR NAME

Bengali: নুখা Nukha
Chinese (Simplified): 箭叶雨久花
Chinese (Traditional): 劍葉雨久花
English: Asian water hyacinth, Arrow leaf pondweed, Arrow-leaf monochoria, Hastate-leaf pondweed, Monochoria
Hindi: लौंकिया Launkia
Indonesian: Ecang batu
Java: Enceng batu
Manipuri: Kakla
Nepali: निलो जलुके - दलकच्छु Nilo Jaluke, Dalakachchhu
Thai: ผักตบไทย

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