The plant has been used as a bio-fertiliser in some organic agriculture practises, but it is mostly a nuisance plant detrimental to both ecosystem and environment. This water hyacinth has become a serious problem plant for the ecosystem. It is an expensive and labour-intensive process to remove this weed from time to time. The gregariopus weed chokes water ways, deteriorates water quality, blocks sunlight, thus impacting freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Water hyacinth seen in Burdwan, West Bengal. This cuts off sunlight as well as reduces oxygen level in the water, making it unfit for commercial use. The plant is a prolific vegetable matter-producer and has the ability to choke out any closed waterbody at an astonishing rate. This simple, floating aquatic plant, unfortunately, is also an obnoxious weed that has been suffocating surface freshwater sources like rivers, rivulets, streams, ponds, dams, lakes and bogs, making the waterbodies unsuitable for commercial fishery, transportation and recreation. The plant produces beautiful purple flowers that have high aesthetic value. This is not an indigenous species but was introduced to India during the British colonial rule as an ornamental aquatic plant from South America. (Pontederiaceae), is an aquatic weed common in waterbodies across South Asia, including India. Water hyacinth, scientifically known as Eichhornia crassipes Mart.
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