About Nymphoides hydrophylla (Lour.) Kuntze
Nymphoides hydrophylla (Lour.) Kuntze, commonly known as crested floating-heart, is an aquatic plant in the family Menyanthaceae native to Taiwan. It produces cordate floating leaves that support a lax inflorescence of delicate white flowers, which have fringed petal margins. Its slim spear-shaped stem is edible, and is eaten as a vegetable in Taiwan; most commercial production of the species for this use occurs in Meinong District, Kaohsiung. The flowers of N. hydrophylla are gynodioecious. Its fruit is a capsule that holds many flattened seeds. Plants of this species are commonly sold for use as ornamentals in water gardens. Outside of its native range, it can escape from cultivation and become an invasive nuisance weed, especially in Florida. This plant is not killed by freezing temperatures, and it has been recorded growing in Lake Marion, South Carolina.
