pretty flowers

I tried to help but all the authorities in Egypt did was down my web sites not only is the plant a problem  but the pollution of 380 cruise boats on an 80 mile stretch of the nile from Luxor to Aswan  does not help.
 Nile pollution photos from the last week of my stay in Egypt May 2011
http://nilecruise.wordpress.com/2011/05/17/2926/

Pictures of my life in Egypt

Such a pretty flower  its a putty its so distructive

Common Water Hyacinth (E. crassipes)

One of the fastest growing plants known, water hyacinth reproduces primarily by way of runners orstolons, which eventually form daughter plants. It also produces large quantities of seeds, and these are viable up to thirty years. The common water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) are vigorous growers known to double their population in two weeks.

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OK you have had the nice part of this beautifully flower now for the reality of this plant,

this and a lot of the Nile land in Egypt is Inundated once an year  where the seeds or the root of the plant is germinated  and grows like wildfire most of the seeds that or in the land will grow in the water without rooting in the land these for the most  when the Nile recedes will go down the Nile as flotsam the rooted plant is left for the farmer to clean up but what they do not realize is if this plant is not cleared away and burnt it will grow more vigorously next time it gets inundated, resulting in what you see in the next photo.

 the plant needs 6 pints of water a day  and as soon as the nile river recedes the plant on higher land will die off.

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here as soon as the Nile water has receded the farmers try to clear the land to sow corn whether its maze or cereal corn .

this pile of hyacinth will be moved  to the path where there is still water  just so the have dry land to walk on.

some may get burnt they will even feed the animals on it  the seeds go through the animal which in turn goes back on the land.

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There are economic impacts when the weed blocks boat access. The effects on transportation and fishing are immediately felt. Where the weed is prolific, there is a general increase in several diseases, as the weed creates excellent breeding areas for mosquitoes and other insects. There are increased incidents of skin rash, cough, malaria, encephalitis, bilharzias, gastro intestinal disorders, and schistosomiasis. Water hyacinth also interferes with water treatment, irrigation, and water supply (Opande et al., 2004^[3])). It can smother aquatic life by deoxygenating the water, and it reduces nutrients for young fish in sheltered bays. It has blocked supply intakes for the hydroelectric plant, interrupting electrical power for entire cities. The weed also interrupts local subsistence fishing, blocking access to the beaches (LVEMP, 2004^[5]).