Water hyacinth (Eichhornia) is an aquatic free-floating plant having a short runner as a stem modification of one internode long. It contains a rosette of leaves above and adventitious roots below. This plant is non-indigenous to India and bought for its beautiful flowers, but now it is nicknamed the "Terror of Bengal". This is because it grows rapidly and spreads on the water surface and cuts off the light that falls down the water body and causes an increase in the oxygen demand by hampering the aquatic life.
