Water hyacinth is a native of the Amazon basin thats been multiplying its way around the world. Its swift multiplication is aided by its free-floating nature: its roots dangling in the water it lives in, but do not anchor it. This mobility, along with its tremendous production of long-viable seeds and the combination of multiplication by stolon with rapid growth, has it all over the shop in no time. Introduced in many tropical and subtropical regions as an ornamental, it swiftly covers entire lakes if uncontrolled, radically changing the environment they provide by reducing oxygen and sunlight in the water below. They also themselves make havens for mosquitos and snails, another alteration in lake population. And it can make harbors considerably less accessible to human use. However, they filter the water they inhabit as well, which is sometimes ecologically desirable in countering eutrophy and toxic waste, including heavy metals. Their rapid production of biomass makes them an attractive source for biofuel, though their considerable water content increases processing costs a good deal. They are rich in carotene and are used as a vegetable in Taiwan. And they have been used to make rope, furniture, and paper. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hyacinth
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 13:54:20 +0000
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