Pontederiaceae · Pontederia

Jal Kumbhi / Common Water Hyacinth

Pontederia crassipes

outdoor
Found in India
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & more

Plant Details

Scientific name
Pontederia crassipes
Genus
Pontederia
Found in India
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Delhi, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Puducherry, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Sikkim
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape
OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.With broad, thick, glossy, ovate leaves, water hyacinth may rise above the surface of the water as much as 1 m (3 ft) in height. — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Characters marked “recorded” are for Jal Kumbhi itself; the rest are typical of the Pontederiaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour
PinkrecordedAn erect stalk supports a single spike of 8–15 conspicuously attractive flowers, mostly lavender to pink in colour with six petals. — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Flower arrangement
SpikerecordedFlowers arranged directly on a central stem without individual stalks.An erect stalk supports a single spike of 8–15 conspicuously attractive flowers, mostly lavender to pink in colour with six petals. — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Characters marked “recorded” are for Jal Kumbhi itself; the rest are typical of the Pontederiaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi
जल कुम्भी Jal Kumbhi
Kannada
antara taavare, antaragange
Manipuri
ꯀꯕꯣꯛꯀꯥꯡ Kabokkang, ꯀꯕꯣꯀꯥꯡ Kabokang
Mizo
Dum-awr-puar
Nepali
जल कुम्भी Jal Kumbhee
Sanskrit
जल कुम्भी Jalakumbhi, Variparni
Tamil
Venkayattamarai
Telugu
Budaga tamara, Gurra pudekka moka

About Jal Kumbhi

Common water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) belongs to the Pontederiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and 26 other states.

Uses

It is grown for parts that are eaten, cut for timber and furniture and stripped for fibre used in rope and matting. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.

Illustration representing the Pontederiaceae family
Botanical family

Pontederiaceae

Pickerel-Weed Family

Jal Kumbhi belongs to the Pontederiaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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