Question

Eicchornia crassipes is a
A) Desert Plant
B) Parasite
C) Aquatic Plant
D) Terrestrial Plant

Answer 1

Hint: Eichhornia crassipes is an aquatic plant. Aquatic plants are those plants that are adapted to live in water. They may be found as freely floating, emergent or submerged.

Complete Answer:
- Eichhornia crassipes is a perennial and herbaceous aquatic plant floating freely in the surface of water or can be anchored in mud. It is also known as common water hyacinth or water lettuce.
- Eichhornia crassipes originally belongs from the Amazon River basin and is considered as a highly problematic invasive species or water weed because it colonises rapidly outside its native species.

Additional Information:
Its characteristics include:
- Inflated and Spongy leafstalk which gives the plant its buoyancy.
- Asexual vegetative reproduction.
- Growth is highly enhanced in nutrient-rich, eutrophic water bodies with high nitrate and phosphate content.
- Seeds can remain viable for upto 15 years.
- Water hyacinth is a medicinal plant. It is used in treating diseases such as blood disorder, emaciation, goiter, eczema,cholera, sore throat, snake bite, low immunity etc. Other uses are in Biogas production, water purification and fertilizers.
- Because of its medicinal properties, it is considered as “best out of waste”.
- It breeds quickly and covers the whole water body quickly, resulting in poor water transparency. It easily competes for resources and mineral nutrition with other aquatic plants, thereby inhibiting the growth of other plants. It is clogging intakes of irrigation, hydropower and water supply systems.

Therefore the correct option is C, Aquatic Plant.

Note: Its growth can be restricted by using its natural biological controller such as adult beetles, weevils, moth and fungi.