Print Report

CEGL004902 Pistia stratiotes Invasive Aquatic Vegetation

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available


Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Water-lettuce Invasive Aquatic Vegetation

Colloquial Name: Invasive Water-lettuce Aquatic Vegetation

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: Stands of this aquatic vegetation are dominated by Pistia stratiotes. Other floating plants are often admixed, including Salvinia auriculata, Spirodela polyrrhiza, Azolla caroliniana, and other aquatics. This association is known from Florida and the Caribbean. The hydrology of sites is usually permanently or semipermanently flooded, although periodic drying can occur.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Reported from South Carolina by Aulbach-Smith (pers. comm. 2001), but it does not reliably over-winter in that state.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available

Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: No Data Available

Dynamics:  No Data Available

Environmental Description:  The hydrology of these sites is usually permanently or semipermanently flooded, although periodic drying can occur.

Geographic Range: This association is known from Florida and the Caribbean.

Nations: CU,JM,PR,US,XE

States/Provinces:  FL




Confidence Level: Low

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available

Grank: GNA

Greasons: No Data Available


Concept Lineage: 2002-05-14: CEGL007680: conspecific and redundant with CEGL004902: M. Pyne | 1998-01-01: CEGL004903: merged

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available

Synonomy: < Eichhornion azureae Alliance (Borhidi 1991)
< Nymphaea-Nelumbo-Pistia Alliance (Lindsay and Horwith 1997)
= Pistia stratiotes Herbaceous Alliance (Areces-Mallea et al. 1999)
? Pistietum stratiotidis Association (Borhidi 1991)
? Water-lettuce Mat -- 29.6 (Dansereau 1966)
? Zona a Pistia (Ciferri 1936)

Concept Author(s): A.S. Weakley

Author of Description: M. Pyne

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 05-14-02

  • Areces-Mallea, A. E., A. S. Weakley, X. Li, R. G. Sayre, J. D. Parrish, C. V. Tipton, and T. Boucher. 1999. A guide to Caribbean vegetation types: Preliminary classification system and descriptions. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. 166 pp.
  • Aulbach-Smith, C. Personal communication. Botanical Services of SC.
  • Borhidi, A. 1991. Phytogeography and vegetation ecology of Cuba. Akademiai Kiado. Budapest, Hungary. 858 pp. plus color plates and map by A. Borhidi and O. Muniz (1970) inside of back cover.
  • Ciferri, R. 1936. Studio geobotanico dell''Isola Hispaniola (Antille), R. Universita di Pavia. Atti Ist. Bot. Univ. Pavia 8:3-336.
  • Dansereau, P. 1966. Studies on the vegetation of Puerto Rico. Part I. Description and integration of the plant-communities. University of Puerto Rico, Institute of Caribbean Sciences. Special Publication No. 1. Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. 287 pp.
  • Lindsay, K., and B. Horwith. 1997. A vegetation classification of Antigua-Barbuda-Redonda: Implications for conservation. Eastern Caribbean Biodiversity Programme, Biodiversity Publication 2. 61 pp.
  • Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.