Gardening Plant Encyclopedia Water Plants Water Lettuce By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on February 1, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email This water plant is grown for its beautiful, velvety foliage that really does resemble a dense carpet of lettuce heads flowering on the water. It can be an important plant for ponds as it shades the water and gives small fish a place to hide. In cold climates, treat this tender floating plant as an annual and replace every year. Note: In warm-winter climates, water lettuce can be invasive. Check to see if the plant is banned in your area before planting it. Water Lettuce Overview Genus Name Pistia stratiodes Common Name Water Lettuce Plant Type Water Plant Light Part Sun, Sun Height 6 to 6 inches Special Features Good for Containers, Low Maintenance Zones 10, 11 Propagation Division Garden Plan for Water lettuce Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit