Pontederia cordata L.
Pickerelweed
Kingdom Plantae Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom Tracheobionta Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division Magnoliophyta Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class Liliopsida Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family
Subclass Liliidae Includes lilies, orchids, and many others
Order Liliales Includes lilies, tulips, trilliums, greenbriars, and others
Family Pontederiaceae Aquatic plants that are “heterostylous”—different members of the same species can have different-appearing flowers
Genus Pontederia For Paduan botany professor Guilio Pontedera
Species cordata “Heart-shaped”
About plant names...
Pickerelweed is a North American native plant that grows in shallow, quiet water. Pickerel (the fishes)
are often found in the same habitat as this plant, presumably the reason for the plant's name.
Identification: Plants reach 3′ (91 cm) in height, some of this
height submerged. It produces a spike of blue flowers about 6″ (15 cm) long, the spike accompanied
by a single leaf. Individual flowers are about ¼″ (8.5 mm) long, blue-violet with two yellow spots.
Leaves are up to 10″ (25 cm) × 5″ (12 cm), shaped like arrowheads.
Edibility: Young, partially unfurled leaves can be eaten
in salads or cooked as greens. Seeds can be eaten like nuts, or dried and added to granola.
Online References:
Illinois Wildflowers
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The Connecticut Botanical Society's Connecticut wildflowers site
The Missouri Botanical Garden
The Virginia Tech Weed Identification Guide
Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Islandcreekes.fcps.edu
Floridata.com
CalPhotos
EFloras
References:
Peterson, Lee Allen, Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern/Central North America , Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977 , p. 136
7/18/2010 · Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle, Massachusetts · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm)
8/1/2010 · Lake Messalonskee, Belgrade, Maine · By Constance B. Kent
8/11/2009 · Townsend, Massachusetts ID is uncertain
7/18/2010 · Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)
Older scientific or horticultural names
Pontederia cordata L. var. angustifolia (Pursh) Torr. & Elliott
Pontederia cordata L. var. lanceolata (Nutt.) Griseb.
Pontederia cordata L. var. lancifolia (Muhl. ex Elliott) Torr.
Pontederia lanceolata Nutt.
Pontederia cordata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
7/18/2010 · Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle, Massachusetts · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm)
7/18/2010 · Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)
8/7/2016 · Jeff Smith Trail, Jewett St., Pepperell, Massachusetts
8/1/2010 · Lake Messalonskee, Belgrade, Maine · By Constance B. Kent
8/16/2016 · John Tinker Trail, Nashua River, Groton, Massachusetts
7/18/2010 · Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 15″ (26 × 39 cm)
Range: Zones 4-11:
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