Which of the following plant was introduced in India because of its beautiful flower and shape of leaves?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Water Hyacinth
Option (3) Water Hyacinth — Correct. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was introduced into India for its beautiful flowers and shape of leaves. It grows abundantly in eutrophic water bodies and upsets their ecosystem.
Note: This question is from Chapter 16, Environmental Issues, of the pre-rationalised NCERT book. This chapter is not in the present NCERT book (2026-27). The extract below is from the pre-rationalised edition.
NCERT Extract (Pre-rationalised edition, Chapter 16, Environmental Issues):
Domestic Sewage and Industrial Effluents – “… You may have seen the beautiful mauve-colored flowers found on very appealingly-shaped floating plants in water bodies. These plants which were introduced into India for their lovely flowers have caused havoc by their excessive growth by causing blocks in our waterways. They grow faster than our ability to remove them. These are plants of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), the world’s most problematic aquatic weed, also called ‘Terror of Bengal’.”