Chris Mattison / Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) cultivated, occurs in South America.

Anup Shah / Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in Common Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Masai Mara, Kenya

Anup Shah / Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) in Common Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Masai Mara, Kenya

Anup Shah / Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) with Common Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Masai Mara, Kenya

Luiz Claudio Marigo / Common Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Pixaim River, Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso State, Western Brazil.

Hiroya Minakuchi / Common Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in river, Costa Rica

Nick Garbutt / Male Jaguar (Panthera onca palustris) emerging from bed of Water Hyacinths (Eichhornia sp.) at the edge of a tributary of Cuiaba River, Northern Pantanal, Brazil. September

Fabio Liverani / Red Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) standing near flowering Water Hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) Willawilla lake, Sri Lanka.

Fabio Liverani / Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in flower, Willawilla lake, Sri Lanka

Michael Hutchinson / Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) floating on lake in marsh, Esteros del Ibera, Argentina

Michael Hutchinson / Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in flower in marsh, Esteros del Ibera, Argentina

Kevin Schafer / Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) peeking out of water amid Common Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) plants, Pantanal, Brazil