Water Lettuce
Pistia stratiotes
Spanish: lechuguilla de agua
Pistia is a genus of aquatic plant in the arum family, Araceae. The single species it comprises, Pistia stratiotes, is often called water cabbage, water lettuce, Nile cabbage, or shellflower. Its native distribution is uncertain, but probably pantropical; it was first discovered from the Nile near Lake Victoria in Africa. It is now present, either naturally or through human introduction, in nearly all tropical and subtropical fresh waterways and considered an invasive species as well as... Most often recorded in Feb, Jan, Nov.
- 2026-02-22 — observation by soulbiol
- 2026-02-01 — observation by zihuadean
- 2025-11-25 — observation by antonio_perez2
- 2025-01-04 — observation by elias_bowman
- 2023-01-08 — observation by vctrndr
Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia
Cite as: “Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/pistia-stratiotes/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.