1178

 Pontederia cordata L.

Synonyms	:	Pontederia lanceolata
Family	:	Pontederiaceae
Local Name	:	English-Pickerel Weed
Flowering and fruiting period	:	Australia, Europe, Africa and western North America.
Habitat	:	Marshes and borders of muddy ponds
Uses	:	Young leafstalks - raw or cooke
Key Botanical Characters: aquatic plant, often planted in ponds. It is characterized by a cluster of erect arrowhead-shaped leaves arising from a single basal clump. The leaves are 4-8 in across, shiny green and thick-spongy, standing up to 3 ft tall on fleshy stalks. Pickerelweed produces showy 15-20 cm long spikes of violet-blue flowers standing on stalks 2-3 ft tall. The individual flowers are about 2.5 cm across and quite showy, resembling an orchid. Pickerelweed spreads by creeping underground stems just beneath the surface.