No one's sure how the South American water hyacinth invaded Africa's Lake Victoria but there's little doubt as to the damages it has caused. In 1989, the weed was spotted in the lake and seven ...

Native to South America, water hyacinth forms dense mats that can double in size in 6-18 days, according to the University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, which called it "the ...

The plant is steadily taking over freshwater bodies in the northern region of South Africa, suffocating aquatic life, including on the Crocodile River and the Hartbeespoort Dam it flows into.