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Water Hyacinths in Africa and Asia

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The Long-Term Fate of Invasive Species

Abstract

Water hyacinth is a floating, flowering plant, native to South America. After its introduction to Africa and Asia, the water hyacinth mass-developed in many bodies of water and became a major obstacle to navigation and fishing. The ecological effects of the huge, thick mats of floating plants involved anoxia under them and multiple hiding places among the roots and underwater leaves for anything from mosquito larvae, bilharzia-infected snails, and small fishes. Biological control, primarily with the Neochetina weevils, has turned the water hyacinth menace into a practically manageable problem, using physical and occasionally chemical control as temporary complementary measures. A number of usages of the plant have also become plusses in the socioeconomic balance, even if they (so far) don’t outweigh the economic losses in most places.

“Today, I’ve seen the most adorable flower in a pond in the garden of Dusit (a palace of Chulalongkorn’s). I love it and I just got to have it, but where could I find seeds?” (In a letter to a friend from a wife of a Dutch expert adviser to the Siamese government.)

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  1. Swedish Institute for Future Studies, Jarpas, Sweden

    Arne Jernelöv

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Jernelöv, A. (2017). Water Hyacinths in Africa and Asia. In: The Long-Term Fate of Invasive Species. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55396-2_9

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