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WATER HYACINTH
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Water hyacinth is the common name for the aquatic herb Eichhornia crassipes of the family Pontederiaceae. Native to tropical America, it has become naturalized to the ponds, quiet streams, and ditches of the southeastern United States. The plants have ovate leaves with large inflated petioles that aid in flotation, and long, trailing, feathery roots. The large, showy violet flowers have conspicuous markings.
Water hyacinth has become a troublesome weed, clogging otherwise navigable watercourses and irrigation ditches in the United States and Australia. It is a good absorber of pollutants, however, and may be useful in water-treatment systems or sewage-disposal plants.
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