Pistia stratiotes Linnaeus. Common name: Water Lettuce. Habitat: Stagnant or slow-moving waters of rivers, sometimes cultivated in ponds, where it persists for a while (presumably eventually eliminated by cold winters in the more northern parts of our area). Distribution: Native in a wide area across the Paleotropics and Neotropics, including in North America at least peninsular FL; it has been sometimes considered an alien and noxious waterweed in FL but evidence strongly supports its nativity there (Evans 2013). Reported for AR (Serviss & Serviss 2023a). This floating aquatic appeared in the Waccamaw River of SC (downstream from NC) in 1990 and 1991, apparently successfully overwintering (Nelson 1993).
Origin/Endemic status: Native
Synonymy ⓘ: = Can, ETx1, FNA22, GW1, Il, K4, NcTx, NY, S, S13, Tx, Va, WH3, Spaulding et al (2019); = n/a — C, F, RAB, Tat. Basionym: Pistia stratiotes L. 1753
Links to other floras: = Pistia stratiotes - FNA22
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Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: OBL
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: OBL
- Great Plains: OBL
- Midwest: OBL
- Northcentral & Northeast: OBL
Heliophily ⓘ: 8
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© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
© Alan Cressler: Pistia stratiotes, Withlacoochee River, Sumter County, Florida 3 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷Feedback
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native range: pan-tropical
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