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Description |
Geographic Range [top]
Range Description: This is a pantropical species: its geographical origins are uncertain but it possibly originated in Gondwana. It has been introduced and has become naturalised in many subtropical countries.
Countries occurrence:
Native:
Afghanistan; Angola (Angola); Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland); Bangladesh; Belize; Benin; Bolivia, Plurinational States of; Botswana; Brazil; Brunei Darussalam; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; China (Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hebei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang); Colombia; Comoros; Congo; Costa Rica; Côte dIvoire; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; India; Indonesia (Jawa, Kalimantan, Lesser Sunda Is., Maluku, Papua, Sumatera); Jamaica; Kenya; Lao Peoples Democratic Republic; Lesotho; Liberia; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Mali; Martinique; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Montserrat; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Nepal; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; Pakistan; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Puerto Rico; Rwanda; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Senegal; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Somalia; South Africa (Eastern Cape Province, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal); South Sudan; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Suriname; Swaziland; Taiwan, Province of China; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Togo; Uganda; United States (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas); Uruguay; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Viet Nam; Virgin Islands, British; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Additional data:
? Upper elevation limit (metres): 1800
Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
Population [top]
Population: This is a common weed of waterways that may sometimes overwhelm water bodies with its abundance. It is widespread in rivers, lakes and ponds of the tropics, and is considered invasive in many countries.
Current Population Trend: Stable
Additional data:
? Continuing decline of mature individuals: No
? Population severely fragmented: Unknown
Habitat and Ecology [top]
Habitat and Ecology: It is a free-floating plant that is capable of forming dense mats on the surfaces of lakes, ponds and other open, still freshwater bodies. It reproduces vegetatively.
Systems: Freshwater
Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: No
Use and Trade [top]
Use and Trade: In China, this plant is cultivated for animal feed and is used to treat swelling and urinary tract infections. The paste of leaves, served to cattle, causes lactation and increases milk quantity. It also has use as an ornamental aquarium plant. It is used as fuel, as a source for the production of methane gas. It has potential to be used as animal fodder.
Threats [top]
Major Threat(s): Rather than being subject to major threats this plant, where it has been introduced, can pose a threat to native species.
Conservation Actions [top]
Conservation Actions: No conservation measures in place or needed.
Citation: Beentje, H.J., Drius, M. & Gupta, A.K. 2017. Pistia stratiotes. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T168937A84295055. Downloaded on 07 June 2017.
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