Honorable Mention: Lettuce Paradox

Water Lettuce, or Pistia stratiotes L., is an aquatic plant that can be found all throughout the globe, with populations on every continent except Antarctica. The varieties found in Florida are unique because there are multiple genetic varieties (haplotypes) that, morphologically, are practically identical. However, the fascination lies in the fact that one of these variations are native to Florida, while another is invasive. This raises questions about how to approach mitigation efforts.