Giant Salvinia

Salvinia molesta

Summary 4

Salvinia molesta, commonly known as giant salvinia or kariba weed after it infested a large portion of the reservoir of the same name, is an aquatic fern, native to south-eastern Brazil. It is a free floating plant that does not attach to the soil, but instead remains buoyant on the surface of a body of water. The fronds are 0.5–4 cm long and broad, with a bristly surface caused by the hair-like strands that join at the...

Ecological threat in the united states 5

Giant salvinia poses a serious threat to lakes, ponds, streams, rivers and other freshwater wetlands, and cultivated rice fields. It grows rapidly and spreads across water surfaces, forming dense floating mats that cut off light to other aquatic plants, reduce oxygen content and degrade water quality for fish and other aquatic organisms.

History in the united states 6

Giant salvinia, also known as water fern or kariba-weed, was introduced as an ornamental aquatic plant and is spread to new water bodies on boats and fishing gear, by dumping of aquaria, and by other unintentional means. Sale, transport, release and other activities with this plant are prohibited in the United States by Federal law.

Prevention and control 7

Do not buy this plant or release it into the wild (these activities are prohibited by U.S. law). If you think you see this plant, call 1-877-STOP-ANS to report it. If you have this plant and no longer want it, pile plants onto a dry sunny surface (e.g., driveway) and let them dry out completely. Once completely dry, bag them in a sturdy plastic trash bag and dispose of in a landfill. Contact proper authorities about other methods of control and disposal.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) IRRI Images, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricephotos/856770675/
  2. Michael Kesl, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/109275.jpg
  3. (c) Linda Gail Price, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Linda Gail Price
  4. Adapted by Kate Wagner from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvinia_molesta
  5. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733757
  6. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733755
  7. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22733759

More Info

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