What kind of plant is water hyacinth?

Water hyacinth is known as Phoenix Eye Blue, also known as Eichhornia crassipes, etc., is a floating herb of the genus Eichhornia crassipes, native to Brazil, and is now widely distributed in the Yangtze River and Yellow River basins and South China provinces, often in ponds, ditches and rice fields. In the growth suitable areas, often due to excessive reproduction, blocking waterways and affecting traffic, it was once introduced by many countries, widely distributed all over the world, and was listed as one of the top 100 alien invasive species in the world.

Water hyacinth has well-developed beard roots, brown and black. The stem is very short and the creeping branches are light green. The leaves are clustered at the base, arranged in rosettes, the leaves are round, the surface is dark green, the petiole varies in length, the petiole has sheath-like yellow-green bracts at the base, and the scape is angled. Spikes usually have 9-12 flowers, petals purplish blue, Corolla slightly symmetrical, purplish red around, blue in the middle, with a yellow round spot in the center of blue, and tepals United at the base into a tube. Capsule ovate. The flowering period is from July to October and the fruiting period is from August to November.

Water hyacinth likes a warm, humid, sunny environment and is very adaptable. The suitable water temperature is 18 ~ 23 ℃. It can grow even if it exceeds 35 ℃. It can stop growing when the air temperature is below 10 ℃. It has certain cold tolerance. Like to be born in shallow water, can also grow in a body of water with a low flow rate, and drift with the water. Reproduce rapidly. After flowering, the flower stem bends into the water and the ovary develops and expands in the water.

Water hyacinth has a strong enrichment effect on many kinds of elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and so on, especially for a large amount of potassium. In the existing ways of resource utilization of Phoenix blue, it is relatively simple and common to compost organic fertilizer and produce biogas, and can also directly use its dry powder or the ash after combustion as fertilizer or soil improver. Flowers and tender leaves can be eaten directly, their taste is fragrant and refreshing, and has the effect of moistening the intestines and defecating.

Water hyacinth is a floating herb with well-developed whisker roots, short stems, light blue flowers, multi-angled trumpet-shaped flowers and large petals above. There is an obvious bright yellow spot in the center of the petal, shaped like Phoenix eyes, and also like the flower spot at the end of the peacock feather, which is very pleasing to the eye and beautiful. It is often the landscaping material in the waterscape of the garden, which is planted in a corner of the pond and framed with bamboo.

Water hyacinth is a good plant for monitoring environmental pollution, which can not only monitor the presence of arsenic in water, but also purify harmful substances such as mercury, cadmium and lead in water. In the process of growth, it can absorb a large amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and some heavy metal elements in the water body, which is more effective in purifying industrial wastewater or domestic sewage containing more organic matter.