TEMPERATURES LETHAL TO SALVINIA-MOLESTA MITCHELL

Experiments in a controlled-temperature cabinet indicated that Salvinia molesta Mitchell is killed when its buds are exposed to temperatures < -3-degrees-C or > 43-degrees-C for > 2-3 h. This agrees with temperature regimes in the plant's distribution which extends from the equator to regions experiencing frosts, but not the formation of ice on freshwaters. Near its limits in hot and cold climates, the plant is more likely to survive in larger bodies of water whose larger thermal capacity dampens temperature fluctuations.