Water lettuce occurs as genus of aquatic plant, its members are typically known as water cabbage. Its native distribution around uncertain, it might subsist all told moderate new lakes. Pistia stratiotes floats on the surface of the a stream its roots roots hanging submersed below swimming leaves. These are the perennial monocotyledon with thick, easy leaves that form the rosette. A leaves may be as much as Xiv cm yearn & keep around there is no stem, it is lightly green, sustaining parallel veins, wavy margins & come covered shortly hairs. A flowers are dioecious, and come hidden inside middle of a plant amongst the leaves, little green berries form fallowing successful fertilization. A plant can besides undergo asexual reproduction, mother and girl plants come attached by the short runner, forming heavy mats.

A incubation habit Water lettuce may produce it the weed in waterways, Pistia stratiotes is a most common aquatic weed in the United States, particularly in Florida where it may clog lakes. Water cabbage has the expected to reduce a biodiversity of a waterway. Mats of Water cabbage prevent flatulence exchange at a air-a body of water system interface, this reduces a atomic number 8 in the water, killing fish, they besides prevent weak killing native sunken plants, & vary emersed plant communities by crushing the two.

Pistia stratiotes may be controlled by mechanical harvestors that dislodge a a water supply cabbage from either a water & shipping it to disposal in shore. Aquatic weedkiller will besides exist as utilized. 2 insects are also existence utilized as a biological control. Adults & lavae of the South American weevil, Neohydronomous affinis feed on Water lettuce leaves, & a lavae of moth Spodoptera pectinicornis from either Thailand, both come proving to become utile information in the management of Pistia stratoites.