Florida's Most Invasive Plants
Water hyacinth has plagued Florida waters since the late 1800s as shown in this 1898 post card of the St Johns River. Note: flowers in the inset are incorrect for water hyacinth.
Hydrilla mat covering the surface of Lake Okeechobee
Ninety-eight percent of the Florida public waters inventoried in 2008 contained one or more exotic plants. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) lists 12 of the 24 non-native aquatic plants found in Florida’s public waters among the 66 Category I invasive plants. Category I plants are plants that invade or disrupt native plant communities.
Category I invasive plants were reported in 93% of the public waters inventoried during 2008 and impacted more than105,000 acres (including more than 80,000 acres impacted by hydrilla plants and tubers).
Invasive aquatic plants are characterized by
- rapid growth
- multiple reproductive methods
- wide dispersal and survival
- broad environmental tolerance
- resistance to management
Problems caused by invasive aquatic plants include
- loss of recreation
- severe oxygen depletion
- stunted fish populations, fish kills
- water-flow restrictions, flooding
- navigation restrictions
- accelerated sedimentation
- habitat destruction
- reduction in biodiversity
- reduction in property values
FLEPPC Category I Aquatic Plants Found in Florida Public Waters
Common Name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|
| Aquatic soda apple | Solanum tampicense |
| Giant salvinia | Salvinia molesta |
| Hydrilla | Hydrilla verticillata |
| Hygrophila | Hygrophila polysperma |
| Napier grass | Pennisetum purpureum |
| Para grass | Urochloa mutica |
| Torpedograss | Panicum repens |
| Water hyacinth | Eichhornia crassipes |
| Water lettuce | Pistia stratiotes |
| Water spinach | Ipomoea aquatica |
| West Indian marsh grass | Hymenachne amplexicaulis |
| Wild taro | Colocasia esculenta |
Last updated: 28 November 2011