Pontederia cordata L. var. lanceolata (Nutt.) Griseb.
Pontederia cordata L. var. lancifolia (Muhl. ex Elliott) Torr.
Pontederia lanceolata Nutt.
Pontederia cordata L.
Pickerelweed
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.
Plants: 3′ (91 cm) in height, some of it submerged.
Leaves: Up to 10 ⨉ 5″ (25 ⨉ 12 cm), shaped like arrowheads.
Flowers: 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. Flowers appear from June to October.
Fruits: Flowering stems bend to become submerged during fruit and seed production.
Habitats: Sloughs, swamps and ponds.
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:
References:
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 L. var. lanceolata (Nutt.) Griseb.
Pontederia cordata L. var. lancifolia (Muhl. ex Elliott) Torr.
Pontederia lanceolata Nutt.
7/18/2010 · Great Brook Farm State Park, Carlisle, Massachusetts · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (50 × 41 cm) 
7/6/2026 · Head of Tide Park, Topsham, Maine 
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 × 6″ (11 × 14 cm) 
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 × 5″ (11 × 13 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 × 14″ (24 × 34 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| 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” |
Pontederia cordata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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