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Pickerel weed is an aquatic plant with emergent leaves and flower spikes; it is native to the New World. Each flower stalk is up to 3' tall (usually shorter) and bears a single leaf whose petiole is wrapped by a thin sheath. The flower stalks bear a flower spike ~5" long, densely covered with blue-violet flowers and unopened flower buds; below the spike, the flower stalk is wrapped in a sheath. Individual flowers are ~1/2 across; the corolla has three upper lobes (with 1-2 yellow spots on the middle lobe) and an additional three lower lobes; the exterior of the buds and the flowers is covered with long, white hairs. There are six stamens, usually three emergent and three recessed deep in the flower. Like purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), pickerel weed has tristylous flowers with each plant producing flowers with one of three distinct lengths of the styles (and thus the position of the stigma) and three complementary lengths of the stamens (call them long, medium, and short). If the styles are L, the stamens are M and S; if the styles are M, the stamens are L and S, and if the styles are S, the stamens are L and M. Presumably, these complications enhance genetic outcrossing. For more information, see Price and Barrett (1984) Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 21: 315-329 and Gettys and Wofford (2008) J. Heredity 99: 558-563.

Pontederia

Pontederia cordata

pickerel weed [Blooms: Jun-Sep]