Common water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes.

Botanical illustration of the invasive Water Hyacinth plant, Eichhornia crassipes.

The Water Hyacinth is an aquatic plant, it has bulbs with air that allow it to float. Native to the fresh waters of the warm regions of South America, its abundance drastically changes the conditions of wetlands. Currently it has colonized almost all the continents where it becomes an invasive species. It is included in the list of the 100 most harmful invasive exotic species in the world.

Digital illustration, using Affinity Photo software, mixing stippling and color techniques (using special brushes). It was developed in the workshop “Illustrating Botany”, one of the various activities of the I Online International Congress of Scientific Illustration, organized by Illustraciencia and CosmoCaixa.

The illustrations made in these workshops represent a collaboration with the Life Invasaqua project: an initiative to advance in the search for solutions and awareness about the impact of invasive exotic species on our ecosystems.