Pistia stratiotes

Eichornia crassipes), water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes), and Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum). When planting in baskets, use a special, low-nutrient aquatic planting mix or garden subsoil. 

Basu, A., Kumar, S., and Mukhijee, S. 2003. Arsenic reduction from aqueous enviromnent by water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.). Indian Journal of Environmental Health, 45 143-50. 

Pistia stratiotes L. (waterlettuce) (Figure 8) is a free-floating aquatic plant introduced to the United States from Vest Africa. 

Aquatic macrophytes e.g. water fern Azolla africana) have been used to remove heavy metals from solution (Talor and Sela, 1992). Heavy metals (nickel, mercury, cadmium) are potential carcinogens from drinking water. These elements may become 4,000 - 20,000 times more concentrated in plants, than in water (Brix and Shierup, 1989., Horan, 1990., Mason, 1993) as a result of bioaccumulation. Duckweeds Spirodela polyrrhiza and Lenina minor) have thus been used for the removal of excessive nutrients from polluted water (Culley and Epps, 1993). Pistia stratiotes has been similarly employed for the removal of nutrient from polluted bodies (Aoi et al., 1996). The plants absorb and incorporate the dissolved materials into their structure. 

Aoi, T. Hayashi, T and Bailey, D. (1996). Nutrient removal by water lettuce Pistia stratiotes). Water Science and Technology. 34 7-8. 

Edema, E.N., G.E. Okoloko (2008). Composition of the water-soluble fraction (WSF) of Amukpe well head crude oil before and after exposure to Pistia stratiotes L. Research Journal of Applied Science 3 143-146. 

Sitosterol 3-C -(2 -0-acetyl-6 -0-stearoyl)-P-D-xylopyranoside and sitosterol 3- -(2 -0-stearoyl)-P-D-xylopyranoside have been isolated from the aquatic plant Pistia stratiotes and the highly piscicidal factors of the flower Edgeworthia chrysantha have been identified as sitosterol 3-0-(6 -0-linoleoyl)- and 3-0-(6 -0-linolenoyl)-p-D-glucoside. ... 

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