STUDY AND COLLECTION OF HYDROPHYTES OF THE DISTRICT SWABI, PAKISTAN

A survey was conducted to study hydrophytes in various water bodies and wetlands of District Swabi and to pin point infestations of aquatic weeds particularly the invasive aquatic plants during September-December 2012. A total of 32 plant species belonging to 23 families were collected. The specimens were properly identified by using flora of Pakistan. After identification the specimens were submitted to Special Herbarium for Weeds and Medicinal plants in the Department of Weed Science, the University of Agriculture Peshawar. The aquatic plants found during the survey were categorized on the basis of habitat (regarding depth of water), life cycle and type of water body. Regarding habitat there were free floating weeds, anchored floating weeds, emergent weeds, submerged and marshy weeds. Among them 8 % of total hydrophytes studied were free floating and 58% anchored floating emergent, 11% submerged and 17 % marshy weeds. Regarding life cycle of the hydrophytes, 72 % among them were annual and the rest (28 %) were perennial plants. About 38 % of the aquatic plants were associated with streams and river banks, 23 % to drainage ditches and stagnant water conditions, 20 % to irrigation channels and 14 % to wetland and marshy places, respectively. Persicaria hydropiper Michx. was the most poisonous weed while Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms., Pistia stratiotes L., Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud., and Typha latifolia L. were the most problematic weeds and were abundant almost in all habitats and water bodies.