Challiyan at Malayalam Wikipedia · CC BY 3.0Water hyacinth (camalote)
Pontederia crassipes (antes Eichhornia crassipes) · aguape
A floating plant with lilac flowers; during floods it forms islands that drift down the rivers.
What it is
A floating aquatic plant with glossy leaves and inflated stalks that work as floats, and spikes of lilac flowers with a yellow spot. It covers lagoons, creeks and backwaters of the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. During floods it breaks away in large masses, the camalotes, which drift downstream, sometimes carrying frogs, snakes and insects.
Did you know…?
Here it's native and part of the landscape, but on other continents where it was introduced it has become one of the world's most invasive aquatic weeds.
Season
Blooms in spring and summer. The camalotes are most visible when the Paraguay River floods.
Where
The Bay of Asunción, creeks of the Lower Chaco, Lake Ypoá, the Ñeembucú marshes and backwaters of the Paraguay River.
Researched and reviewed in September 2026 with 2 sources. A second reviewer checked dates, coordinates and lodging. Hours and prices may change.