Blue Waterhyssop
Bacopa caroliniana
Blue Waterhyssop is a small aquatic perennial herb with succulent, oval leaves and delicate blue to white flowers that bloom above the water surface. This semi-aquatic plant forms dense mats in shallow waters and serves as important habitat for aquatic invertebrates while helping to stabilize sediments and improve water quality through nutrient uptake.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacopa_caroliniana
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Family
Plantaginaceae
Genus
Bacopa
Blue Waterhyssop belongs to the family Plantaginaceae, order Lamiales, within the Magnoliopsida class.
Species Profile
Blue Waterhyssop is a small aquatic perennial herb with succulent, oval leaves and delicate blue to white flowers that bloom above the water surface. This semi-aquatic plant forms dense mats in shallow waters and serves as important habitat for aquatic invertebrates while helping to stabilize sediments and improve water quality through nutrient uptake.
Blue Waterhyssop faces severe decline primarily due to habitat destruction from wetland drainage, urban development, and agricultural conversion of its native aquatic and semi-aquatic environments. Water pollution from agricultural runoff and urban contamination further degrades remaining suitable habitats, while invasive species competition reduces available ecological niches.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Blue Waterhyssop inhabits shallow freshwater environments including pond margins, slow-moving streams, ditches, and seasonal wetlands with muddy or sandy substrates. The species typically grows in areas with fluctuating water levels, from fully submerged conditions to exposed mudflats during dry periods.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Blue Waterhyssop faces severe decline primarily due to habitat destruction from wetland drainage, urban development, and agricultural conversion of its native aquatic and semi-aquatic environments. Water pollution from agricultural runoff and urban contamination further degrades remaining suitable habitats, while invasive species competition reduces available ecological niches.
Urban and agricultural development
Water pollution and contamination
Wetland habitat loss and drainage
Climate change and altered hydrology
Invasive species competition
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Blue Waterhyssop (Bacopa caroliniana). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/blue-waterhyssop