If you’re traveling by boat in Bangkok, you can see numerous water hyacinths spreading in canals and rivers. Water hyacinth is a threatening species to Thailand’s ecosystem for hundred years. Its magnificent reproductive power can covered its habitat within a few months, letting other hydro species unable to reproduction and extinct. Its thick brush cause oxygens are hard to dissolve in water and the corpses are sunken in the habitat, resulting in polluted water. However, this disastrous plant is not the native species in Thailand. It is the alien species introduced to our country by the Royal family.
Water hyacinth or Eichhornia crassipes (its species name means “thick foots”, referring to its succulent stems & roots) is originally native to South American region. It was firstly introduced to South East Asia in late 19th century by the Hollanders who rule over Java (now is Indonesia). In Thailand, water hyacinth was firstly imported in around year 1896 by the order of Queen Saovabha Phongsri of King Rama V when they were going to Java. Queen Saovabha Phongsri happened to like the beautifulness of water hyacinth’s inflorescent that resemble to the orchid. Water hyacinths were then firstly planted in Thailand at Phayathai palace and they were successively cultivated. After that, Queen Saovabha Phongsri had an order to planting water hyacinth outside the palace, starting from Samsen canal behind the Phayathai palace, in order to “ to let commoners have a chance to see its beauty”, and the story begun.
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| Water hyacinth inflorescent (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eichhornia_crassipes) |
Not so long after the spreading of water hyacinth outside the palace, this plant became the nuisance to local people especially the ones who travel via canal or river. King Rama V had a speech in year 1908, twelve years after the first arrival of water hyacinth in Thailand, mentioned that the water hyacinth was “very dangerous”. In 1910, water hyacinth was introduced in the first agricultural festival in Thailand as “a dangerous & useless plant that everyone should eliminate”. Although in the era of king Rama VI had established the law of eliminating water hyacinth, it wasn’t successful until today.
Nowadays, water hyacinth once known as the beautiful gift from the queen, are well-known as the disastrous alien species.
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