Nymphoides cristata

Non-Native to Florida

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Crested floating heart is occasionally found growing in canals, lakes and ponds in the central peninsula and Collier county. It is native to Asia and blooms from the summer to fall (Wunderlin, 2003). It looks similar to the native banana lily, Nymphoides aquatica.

Appearance: Floating stems from a buried rootstock; single leaf with a short petiole at tip of each stem; slender tuberous roots dangle from the stem-leaf node.

Leaves: Heart-shaped leaves with cordate bases; margins smooth.

Flowers: White with wide membranous margins, glabrous; 0.75–2.4 cm (0.3–0.9 in) wide; petal lobes crested with an erect fold of tissue along upper midvein.

Fruit: An oblong capsule; seeds rounded, smooth. Nymphoides indica also has been introduced to Florida waters. It is currently not on the FLEPPC List.

Ecological threat: FLEPPC Category II – Invasive exotics that have increased in abundance or frequency but have not yet altered Florida plant com-munities to the extent shown by Category I species.

Distribution: C, SW, SE

Text from Invasive and Non-Native Plants You Should Know, Recognition Cards, by A. Richard and V. Ramey, 2007. UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, Publ. No. SP 431.

Download the Recognition Card (PDF 849 KB).

 



View the map below to see this plant's current US distribution, according to Colette Jacono of the U.S. Geological Survey.

Download a color flyer by the USGS that compares the four Nymphoides species in Florida


See the UF/IFAS Assessment, which lists plants according to their invasive status in Florida.

View the herbarium specimen image of the University of Florida Herbarium Digital Imaging Projects.