Eurasian Water Chestnut (Trapa natans) Choking the Hudson River in NY.
Trapa natans is an invasive aquatic plant that was released inadvertently into waters of the northeast in the late 1800s. It has spread throughout New York State, clogging waterways and negatively impacting native species. The density of the vegetation limits light penetration into the water and reduces the growth of native aquatic plants. This reduced plant growth in addition to the yearly decomposition of the water chestnut plants, results in reduced levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, thus impacting aquatic organisms, and leading to fish kills. The abundant growth of water chestnut outcompetes submerged and emergent native aquatic vegetation and seriously impacts the aquatic ecosystem .
This shot was taken along the Hudson River in upstate New York.
Trapa natans is a floating annual aquatic plants, growing in slow-moving water up to 5 m deep, native to warm temperate parts of Eurasia and Africa. This is one of the only 3 species in this genus (the other two being T. bicornis and T. rossica)
