Water Lettuce

Pistia stratiotes

Found in streams, rivers and their banks. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

-15

Harmful

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height: 3–6 inches
Spread: 6 inches–1.5 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Wet to standing water

See native alternatives

Pistia stratiotes — whole photograph — Syariful Msth · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Florida.

Plant this instead

Your county

Choose your county to list local plants first.

Maidenhair Spleenwort
Asplenium trichomanes
Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Not applicable.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Evergreen

Not yet recorded · Bloom

Recorded in 46 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 86 animals.

American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Coot
Fulica americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Wigeon
Anas americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Rail
Laterallus jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna autumnalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-winged Teal
Anas discors
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Boat-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus major
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Loon
Gavia immer
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Dunlin
Calidris alpina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eurasian Wigeon
Anas penelope
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Pistia

Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
Samea multiplicalisSalvinia Stem-borer Moth
Argyractis drumalis

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Araceae
Hardiness: Zones 8a–10b
Flower color: Yellow, green, inconspicuous or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Flower color · “Yellow, green, inconspicuous or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Hardiness · “Zones 8a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3–6 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Leaves · “Evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Frequent standing water” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “6 inches–1.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Florida rank	S4S5
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source