Water Hyacinth

Pontederia crassipes

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.

Water

Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula H2O. It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's streams, lakes, and oceans. Water is also the fluid of all known living organisms, in which it acts as a solvent. Water, being a polar molecule, undergoes strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding which is a large contributor to its physical and chemical properties. It is vital for all known forms of life, despite not providing food energy or being an organic micronutrient. Due to its presence in all organisms, its chemical stability, its worldwide abundance, and its strong polarity relative to its small molecular size, water is often referred to as the "universal solvent".

Hyacinth

Hyacinthus is a genus of bulbous herbs and spring-blooming perennials. They are fragrant flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae and are commonly called hyacinths. The genus is native predominantly to the Eastern Mediterranean region from the south of Turkey to the Palestine region, although naturalized more widely.

Color of water

The color of water varies with the ambient conditions in which that water is present. While relatively small quantities of water appear to be colorless and transparent, pure water has a slight blue color that becomes deeper as the thickness of the observed sample increases. The hue of water is an intrinsic property and is caused by selective absorption and scattering of blue light. Dissolved elements or suspended impurities may give water a different color.

water hyacinth

Noun

1. Any of the genus Pontederia (syn. Eichhornia) of aquatic flowering plants.
2. especially common water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes, syn. Eichhornia crassipes), a problematic invasive plant that clogs waterways in warm temperate and subtropical regions worldwide.