The presence of different species of hydrophytes was investigated in relation to Secchi disk visibility, pH, dissolved oxygen,electrical conductivity, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a concentration in two tropical ponds nearbyKolkata, India, during a three years period (June 1999 to May 2002). The dominant flora in the ponds namely, Alternantheraphiloxeroides, Nymphoides hydrophylla, Lemna aequinoctialis, and Vallisneria spiralis were found to subsist over a wide amplitudeof nutrient levels thereby showing their adaptability to highly eutrophic ecosystems, a common feature of the tropics.However, the presence of some minor species could be associated with a narrow range of specific limnological variables.