Invasive hyacinth chokes Botanic Gardens lake

THE lake at Durban Botanic Gardens, which is an attractive feature for locals and visitors alike, will be cleared of the invasive Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) weed that has spread across the water.

After a visitor expressed concern that the lake was covered with the plant which causes the death of fish and other life in the lake because is sucks out all the oxygen in the water, curator of the Gardens, Martin Clement said a project was being undertaken to remove the plant from the lake.

“The management of invasive Water Lettuce is an ongoing challenge for staff at the Durban Botanic Gardens.”

“It is an incredibly difficult plant to eradicate completely given its ability to reproduce exponentially from smaller sections of the mother plant which become easily lodged in the vegetated edge of the lake,” said Clement.

He said the water body of the lake measured 3700 square meters in size and was an important sanctuary for various water birds.

“We have tried various methods to control Water Lettuce in the lake using both chemical (herbicide) and biological means, but we have had to resort to mechanical removal as the most effective means of keeping the plant under control. The summer months generally prove to be a major challenge given the higher temperatures,” he said.

He added that and an improved management plan for the lake as well as the incremental removal of accumulated sediment would be looked into.

“This should help improve the overall health of the lake. The Gardens is grateful for the support of the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust with ongoing invasive plant control in the lake,” he said.

Clement also appealed to the public should they be able to assist the Gardens in a voluntary capacity, to contact him on martin.clement@durban.gov.za.

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