Accession Data:
Pistia stratiotes L.
- Common Name: Water Lettuce, Shellflower
- Family: Araceae Juss.
- Country of Origin: Pantropical
- Description: One species, a pantropic, free-floating perennial of quiet ponds nearly throughout the tropics and subtropics; stoloniferous, forming colonies, rosettes to 6 inches across, with long, feathery, hanging roots; leaves ovate), and broadly tapering to each end; wider than oblanceolate.">obovate to spathulate-oblong, truncate to emarginate at the apex, long-cuneate at base, with many prominent longitudinal veins, light green, velvety-hairy; inflorescence inconspicuous, to 1/2 inch long; flowers few, unisexual, enclosed in a leaflike spathe.
Often grown in ponds and aquaria, can become a serious pest in the tropics.
- Uses: Used as a famine food in India. Young leaves are eaten in China. Many traditional medicinal uses. Studies have shown effectiveness for antifungal, hypotensive, bronchodialtor, cytotoxic, larvicidal, anthelmintic, antidermatophytic, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, and diuretic activity.
Philippine Alternative Medicine
- IMPORTANT NOTE: Plant Uses are for informational purposes only. EEB Greenhouses assume no responsibility for adverse effects from the use of any plants referred to on this site. Always seek advice from a professional before using any plant medicinally.
Accession Data:
- Accession # 201100287
- Source: Matt Opel
- Accession Date: 10-24-2011
- Bench: 3307 - NEOB: Bromeliad Island
- Currently: active - healthy
- Qty: 10 confirmed on 03-11-2025
- Restrictions:
Classification:
- Division: Magnoliophyta
- Class: Liliopsida
- SubClass: monocots
- Order: Alismatales
- SubOrder:
- Family: Araceae
- SubFamily: Aroideae
- Tribe: Pisteae
- SubTribe:
Flowering Data:
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References (internal):
- Medicinal Plants
- Aquatic Plants
- Acropleustophyte
- Type Species
- Invasive Species
- EEB 3271 - Systematic Botany
- EEB 3203 - Developmental Plant Morphology
- EEB Greenhouse Holdings native to: Egypt / Benin / Burkina / Gambia, The / Ghana / Guinea-Bissau / Guinea / Ivory Coast / Liberia / Mali / Mauritania / Nigeria / Niger / Senegal / Sierra Leone / Togo / Burundi / Cabinda / Central African Republic / Cameroon / Congo / Equatorial Guinea / Gabon / Gulf of Guinea Is. / Rwanda / Zaire / Chad / Ethiopia / Somalia / Sudan / Kenya / Tanzania / Uganda / Angola / Malawi / Mozambique / Zambia / Zimbabwe / Botswana / Cape Provinces / Caprivi Strip / Lesotho / Namibia / KwaZulu-Natal / Free State / Swaziland / Northern Provinces / Comoros / Mauritius / Madagascar / Afghanistan / China South-Central / Hainan / China Southeast / Nansei-shoto / Taiwan / Assam / Bangladesh / East Himalaya / India / Laccadive Is. / Maldives / Nepal / Pakistan / Sri Lanka / West Himalaya / Andaman Is. / Cambodia / Laos / Myanmar / Nicobar Is. / South China Sea / Thailand / Vietnam / Borneo / Jawa / Malaya / Maluku / Philippines / Sulawesi / New Guinea / Northern Territory / Queensland / Texas / Florida / Louisiana / Mississippi / Mexico Central / Mexico Northeast / Mexico Gulf / Mexican Pacific Is. / Mexico Northwest / Mexico Southwest / Mexico Southeast / Belize / Costa Rica / El Salvador / Guatemala / Honduras / Nicaragua / Panama / Cuba / Dominican Republic / Haiti / Jamaica / Leeward Is. / Netherlands Antilles / Puerto Rico / Trinidad-Tobago / Venezuelan Antilles / Windward Is. / French Guiana / Guyana / Suriname / Venezuela / Bolivia / Colombia / Ecuador / Galapagos / Peru / Brazil West-Central / Brazil Northeast / Brazil Southeast / Brazil North / Brazil South / Argentina Northeast / Paraguay / Uruguay
References (external):
- The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Accessed 15 July 2015.
- WCSP (2015). World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Accessed 15 July 2015.
data regenerated on Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:30:34 -0400 [bcm v4.0]
Images:
Additional images for this accession:
Click on thumbnails to enlarge
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W/C = Wild Collected
= indicates flowering in past 14 days
= images available for this accession
= map available for this accession
= accession added within past 90 days