Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes
Aquatic Plants Difficulty: Very Easy
📖 About this plant
A beautiful free-floating aquatic plant with soft, velvety, light green leaves arranged in a rosette resembling a loose head of lettuce. Its dangling roots provide excellent filtration and shelter for aquatic life. Effective at removing excess nutrients and reducing algae. Adds a lush, tropical look to water gardens and aquariums.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun to partial shade (4-8 hrs)
💧
Water
Fully aquatic (floating)
💨
Humidity
Very high (80-100%)
🌡️
Temperature
20-30°C
🪴
Soil
None required — free-floating on water surface
🧪
Fertilizer
Absorbs nutrients from water, no additional fertilization needed in most setups
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
जल पत्ता गोभी
BN
Bengali
জল লেটুস
MR
Marathi
जल लेट्यूस
TE
Telugu
నీరు లెట్యూస్
TA
Tamil
நீர் லெட்டூஸ்
GU
Gujarati
જલ લેટ્યૂસ
UR
Urdu
جھیل کا سالاد پتا
KN
Kannada
ನೀರು ಲೆಟ್ಯೂಸ್
OR
Odia
ଜଳ ଲେଟ୍ୟୁସ୍
ML
Malayalam
ജലക്കടല
PA
Punjabi
ਪਾਣੀ ਦਾ ਸਲਾਦ ਪੱਤਾ
AS
Assamese
জল লেটুস
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Tropical and subtropical regions worldwide — possibly Africa or South America
- 📏 Max height
- 15-25 cm above water, 20-40 cm long roots below
- 📐 Spread
- 15-30 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Non-flowering
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Pale greenish-white (rarely blooms)
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Light Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Fast
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Mildly toxic if ingested in large quantities — contains diterpenoids
- 🌱 Propagation
- Stolon production — daughter plants form at the base of mature plants
🛡️ Health & Safety
⚠️ Not pet safe
☠️ Toxic
Mildly toxic if ingested in large quantities — contains diterpenoids
Common issues
- Invasive in tropical and subtropical waterways
- Sunburn in intense direct light
- Root damage from strong water agitation
- Snails and pests hiding in root mass
💡 Care tips
- Velvety floating rosettes that resemble miniature lettuce heads
- Provides shade and hiding spots for pond fish and frogs
- Multiply rapidly so thin out regularly to prevent overcrowding
- Do not release into wild waterways as it can become invasive
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 7 days, fertilizing every 30 days.
