Flower profile
Common water hyacinth
Pontederia crassipes
Common water hyacinth is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–November.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
Quick look
Pontederia crassipes, commonly known as common water hyacinth, is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range. It is the sole species of the subgenus Oshunae within the genus Pontederia. Anecdotally, it is known as the "terror of Bengal" due to its invasive growth tendencies.
- It belongs to the Pontederiaceae family. iNaturalist
- NatureServe lists it as not native to Florida and Louisiana. NatureServe
- In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–December. iNaturalist
- In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–November. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 4,064 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #60 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. iNaturalist
- iNaturalist has 1,400 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #17 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. iNaturalist
Common water hyacinth gift ideas
Handmade common water hyacinth gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Common water hyacinth art print
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Common water hyacinth greeting card
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Common water hyacinth mug
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Common water hyacinth earrings
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Common water hyacinth embroidery pattern
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Common water hyacinth sticker
When does it bloom?
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Florida
- Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Florida. FAC 5B-40.0055
- Louisiana
- No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Louisiana.
- Rare elsewhere
- No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
NC State Extension notes: “Flowers are edible.” NC State Extension
It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS has no state-by-state distribution for this name, so we can't map it yet.
More Florida flowers
Sources
- USDA PLANTS: no profile matched this name.
- iNaturalist, Pontederia crassipes: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Pontederia crassipes (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
- Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Pontederia crassipes (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
- Photo: mfeaver via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.