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Pontederia cordata L.
Pickerelweed
Florida native
A common plant of marshes, streams, ponds, ditches and the shallows around lakes throughout nearly all of Florida. The range includes the entire eastern United States, west into Texas to Minnesota, north into Ontario and Quebec, plus Oregon.
The usually purple-blue flowers are in a dense spike. Each stalk-less flower is two-lipped with the three lobes of the upper lip fused and the three lobes of the lower lip separate. The upper center lobe has a greenish-yellow spot. The six stamens are arranged in two ranks, with the three upper stamens shorter than the three lower stamens. The long-stalked leaves are mostly basal, with only one on the stem. The blades can be up to 25cm (10 in.) long and 15cm (6 in.) wide and vary from a broad heart-shape to a narrower lance shape.
The species name is derived from cordatus, Latin for heart-shaped and referring to the leaves.
Pontederia cordata is a member of the Pontederiaceae - Water-hyacinth family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jun 08, 2024
