Author:
Qjure
Book:
Qjurious
Type:
Info
Chapter:
3-633.31.11
Pontederia cordata
English: Pickerelweed; Pickerel weed.
German: Hechtkraut.
DD: Phosphorus.
Region: America.
Habitat: aquatic, in wetlands, pond and lake margins, emergent, in flooded conditions, fluctuating water levels; fertile bays of large lakes; intoelerant of salinity, grazing, competition from other wetland plants.
Source: Sense provings.
Botany
Herb; surviving unfavorable conditions as buried seeds in the soil.
Leaves: varies considerably.
Inflorescence: bends to submerse the fruits and seeds when ripe.
Flowers: purple, with yellow markings; tristylous, 3 styles; flowers in late summer.
Pollination: by Melissodes apicata and Dufourea novaeangliae.
Seeds: dormant at the time of dispersal and will not germinate without stratification for 6–8 weeks.
Reproduction: asexually by branching rhizomes, forming large clonal stands.