Federal and NC Noxious Aquatic Weeds are regulated under a combination of Federal and State Laws. Giant salvinia is a small, free floating, aquatic fern introduced from South America. It usually appears as branched stems with floating leaves attached in pairs. The upper surface is covered with dense, stiff hairs with distinct egg beater shaped tips. This plant has 3 growth stages.
Reproduction is by fragmentation.
This underwater aquatic plant is wide-spread worldwide and is probably native to Africa or Asia. Tiny white flowers are abundant during the growing season, but are rarely seen. Hydrilla reproduces by stem fragmentation and by forming tubers beneath the hydrosoil and turions at the leaf axils. The plant closely resembles another invasive exotic, Brazilian Elodea, and two native species of American Elodea. Creeping waterprimrose is a perennial native to Central or South America that grows to 3 feet tall.