Pistia stratiotes l. Individual rosettes can occur alone or connect to others by short horizontal stems called stolons. Species profile : This spongy, rounded plant has conspicuously indented main veins. It grows in still waters of ponds, ditches, swamps, and slow-moving streams and features feathery roots. Inconspicuous and clustered on small, fleshy stalks that are nearly hidden in the leaf axils. Water lettuce is a floating aquatic poisonous plant. · water lettuce has thick, ribbed, and hairy light green leaves that form in rosettes and lack stems. The leaves can grow up to 16 cm (6 in) in length. This species floats completely unanchored on the surface of freshwater bodies, creating a compact, symmetrical foliage structure. Covered with fine root hairs which give them a feather-like appearance, dense, and hang unbranched about 50 cm below the water. Download distribution data view print options · water lettuce , or water cabbage, is a floating pond plant with fuzzy rosettes of leaves resembling heads of lettuce, though its not edible. Its leaves spread in a rosette on the water surface, which inhibits algae growth. · water lettuce , known scientifically as pistia stratiotes, is a free-floating aquatic plant characterized by its distinctive, lettuce -like appearance. General images invasive/noxious wetland related links sources. Grows into dense mats that clog waterways (ramey 2001) Each leaf has deep ribs, scalloped edges, parallel veins, and no significant stems. It belongs to the araceae family, which typically includes land-based plants like the arum lily.