Is hydrilla a freshwater plant or seawater plant?
Hydrilla is a freshwater plant and is often sold for aquariums. It has been discarded into lakes in Florida and has become a pest, choking out normal lake plants and making lakes impassable to boats and impacting fish populations. Recently the problem has been addressed by biologists who have apparently found chemicals which discourage its rapid reproduction. During the 80s I lived on a lake in central FL that was infested as were many local lakes at that time. Everyone was encouraged to check boat motors for hydrilla before leaving and entering any lakes due to the rapidly spreading weed. Also aquarium owners were warned against “dumping” water into the water system – “chain of lakes”. To find out what was done, one could do research on ponds and/or central Florida cities.
