Giant Salvinia (molesta) D.S. Mitchell

Giant Salvinia (molesta) D.S. Mitchell, which I will refer as Salvinia from this point on, is a free floating water plant.  It is known as The World's Worst Invasive water plant.  The lakes  of Texas are in danger of being contaminated with this  invasive plant.  Below you will see photos of Giant Salvania which were taken on Lake Caddo.  You will also see photos taken of a very small lake in Mississippi.  That lake was completely infested in a period of less than 40 days.  I have also included some photos of the Giant Salvinia which were taken in Lake Bistineau, which is located near Bossier City, LA.  Once this plant gets into a lake, a comprehensive plan must be in place to rid the waters.  Failure to react immediately could result in the complete loss of a waterway.

Compare size of plant to hand.

This plant here is no more than 3 inches in diameter.  You can see the velcro like structure on the top portion of the leaf.  The leaves seen here are about the size of a quarter but can grow to the size of a half-dollar.

The Salvinia shown here is mixed in with Water Hyacinth and Lilly Pads.  The photo below shows the same as above.

Compare the size of the thumbnail to the size of the leaf.  This leaf resembles the spade blade on a shovel.

The plant pictured here is about 4 inches in diameter.  Any piece of this plant that is broken off or the plant is split in half, new plant will form.  This one plant could possibly cover a small lake cover or small farm pond in just a few months.

The photos above are photos of the same small lake in Mississippi, taken by the University of Georgia,  the one on the left was the original photo and less than 40 days later, the same lake was photographed from the same position.

Check out the long root system.  It is hard to tell from the photo, but the root on this small plant is approx. 6 inches in length.  The plants are free floating like the Water Hyacinth so the root system just hanges below the plant.

In the background, you can see the Salvinia has grown to a solid carpet.  This was taken at Lake Caddo.

The following photos are of Lake Bistineau, which is located outside the Bossier/Shreveport, La. area.  As you can tell by the photos, this is a fairly large lake.  It is my understanding that the whole shoreline around this lake is overrun with Giant Salvinia.  The distance to water without the Salvinia is approx. 400 yards.

The above photographs should give a real clear understanding on the term "Worlds Worst Invasive Water Plant" Education of all Boaters and Operators of PWC's is the cheapest way to prevent the spread of this plant.  The last several photos show what happens when the small 3" plant  multiplies.  If you are visiting a Lake in La. or Texas be sure to look at the plants and know if any Salvinia happens to be in the lake you visit.  Try to find out if the lake you are visiting has any Salvinia.  Only a thorough cleaning of your Boat and trailer will help prevent the spread of this plant.  Hopefully, we will not experience being infested with the Giant Salvinia (molesta) D.S. Mitchell.

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