Plant Management in Florida Waters
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Water spinach
Quick Facts
- Scientific name: Ipomoea aquatica
- Origin: China
- Introduction: Mid-1900s, vegetable crop
- Aquatic community: Emergent
- Habitat: Dry land, shorelines, floating mats
- Distribution: Isolated sites, statewide
- Management effort: Eradication
- 2020 Acres Treated: <1
Environmental and Economic Concerns
- Grows several inches per day
- Forms dense canopies over emergent plants
- Creates floating mats on water surfaces
- Common weed throughout the tropics, especially in rice fields
- Potential for rapid dispersal by persons planting as a vegetable crop
- Under FWC eradication programs when found in ditches and canals
Management Options
- Biological: None available
- Chemical: Glyphosate, imazapyr, triclopyr
- Mechanical: Not feasible, fragments start new plants
- Physical: Hand pulling