Pontederia cordata (Pickerel Weed)

Description

This 3′ tall native aquatic perennial with heart-shaped leaves is covered with 6″ long blue to purple spikes of flowers from June through September. The flowers are  pollinated by Hummingbirds, Butterflies, Bumblebees and Three Bees which specialize on pollinating Pickerel Weed. Several moth caterpillars and one beetle specialize on Pickerel Weed. Their larvae provide food for mother birds. Waterfowl eat the seeds. The seeds are also edible for humans. The seeds and young leaves are edible for humans. It provides cover for Fish and other wildlife. Plant in wet soil to shallow water. It grows good in containers if kept moist.  It is native to  USA: AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI , WV Canada: NB, NS, ON, PE, QC  We propagated our plants from ones given to us by Kay Murray.