I am from Central and South America. My natural range includes southern Mexico to northern Argentina and Brazil.

People have been growing me in gardens in greenhouses in the United States since the 1880s. I escaped people's ponds with the help of floods and was able to establish myself in the wild. Sometimes people would intentionally release me into the water. Today I am still a popular plant that people can buy to put in their water gardens except in Texas and Louisiana where I am prohibited.

My friends and I like to clump together forming giant mats that clog waterways. This obstructs recreational and commercial usage of waterways plus makes them look ugly. Because I take over the water, I steal habitat from native birds, fish, invertebrates and other plants. In areas where I form very thick mats, my mats can be up to 1 meter (over 3 feet) thick, I take a lot of oxygen and important nutrients out of the water that other organisms need. Once I take the nutrients out of the water, mosquitoes will begin to infest it.

In Florida I am eaten by another nonnative species, the Salvinia weevil. This bug is not present in Louisiana or Texas where I am a huge problem. Herbicides and mechanically harvesting have been used to try to exterminate me. These methods are tricky because I can regenerate from small fragments left behind from machines and too much herbicide can have a devastating effect on water chemistry. The most effective way of controlling me is to make sure I don't spread to new places. You can help do this by always cleaning your boat motor and trailer thoroughly before launching into new waters.