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 nearby Kolkata, India, during a three years period (June 1999 to May 2002). The dominant flora in the ponds namely, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Nymphoides hydrophylla, Lemna aequinoctialis, and Vallisneria spiralis were found to subsist over a wide amplitude of 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.