Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) - High Risk

Species that are considered high risk have a well-documented history of invasiveness in at least one location globally and are of establishment concern for the contiguous United States based on a climate matching analysis.

Pontederia crassipes, water hyacinth, is an aquatic plant that is native to tropical South America. This species has likely spread worldwide either incidentally or purposefully as an ornamental plant. Substantial peer reviewed literature is available documenting adverse impacts caused by this species. P. crassipes has been found to directly impact both the ecology as well as the socioeconomic aspects of the regions it is found to be established. For those reasons the history of invasiveness is High. The climate matching analysis for the contiguous United States indicates establishment concern for this species. Areas of highest match were found in the Southwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions. The Certainty of Assessment is High because of the abundant reliable information available for P. crassipes. The Overall Risk Assessment Category for Pontederia crassipes in the contiguous United States is High.