Nomenclature

Common Name:

pickerelweed

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Pontederia cordata

Family:

Pontederiaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

to 3-4 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

purple

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Blooms spring to fall. Individual plants short-lived but it spreads vegetatively to form long-lived patches.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Wetland gardens and pond edges. Used in wetland restoration.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Specialty Provider

Propagation:

Division of clumps.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry

Coming Soon!

1 ---to--- Stays wet

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds

Attracts butterflies and bees. Documented bee visitors include   Hylaeus schwarzi, Dianthidiuin floridiense, Ceratina dupla floridaiza, Apis inellifera , and Xylocopa inicaizs (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Ducks love the plants and a risk is that they might devour an entire planting.

Native Habitats:

Marshes, swamps, slow moving streams.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Seeds are edible

General Comments:

The natural range in Florida appears to include the entire mainland and exclude the Florida keys.  Herbarium specimen in the Florida Keys was in a man-made pond leading to the suspicion that the plant was brought in by man and that the keys are not within the natural range of the species. The counties where the plant has not been documented are well within the range of the species and have ample habitats to support this common species (this author has seen it in most of those counties).