Without question, it's a pretty plant, with its bright yellow four-petal flower and long, lance-like leaves. It's also an invasive one.
Peruvian primrose-willow, Ludwigia peruviana, came to this country as an ornamental, but it has escaped cultivation and established itself in the wilds of Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Misissippi and Puerto Rico. Some argued for a time that it was native to the state, but the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council concluded that it is foreign to our shores and declared it to be Category I invasive, doing serious damage to natural habitats.
This plant likes it wet. Peruvian primrose willow grow near water, along the edges of lakes, ponds and streams. Eventually, it will grow into the water, where it can create all sorts of problems. It can create dense colonies that block out native plants. When it hits the water, it can form floating islands that clog waterways and out compete aquatic plants. Those floating islands reduce the amount of sunlight that penetrates the water, killing submerged plants and reducing the amount of oxygen in the water, which can kill aquatic animals, including fish. It can increase sediments in the water, again reducing oxygen in the water. Attempts to remove the plant can end up helping spread it, because pieces of stem will root and create new plants.
Peruvian primrose willow is native to tropical parts of Central and South America, but because of its good looks, it's been introduced to warmer parts of the globe as an ornamental. It's established colonies in South Africa, India and Australia, where it's considered an invasive.
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