Pickerel Weed, Pontederia cordata

Pickerel Weed (Pickerelweed), Pontederia cordata, is an aquatic plant common to marshes, ponds, and lakes in the south. It grows three to four feet tall, but, you only see one or two feet, because the rest is underwater. It is native to the eastern United States and Canada. USDA Plant Profile.

It is beautifully displayed at Botanica Gardens in Wichita.

The  Pickerel Weed has towering spikes with clusters of violet-blue flowers. Each flower is small, less than half an inch wide. It has two small yellow spots on one petal.

Pickerel Weed blooms in June and continues until November. The Honey Bee and other insects pollinate the flowers. After a flower has been pollinated, it dies and a small fruit grows containing one seed each.

Pickerelweed and Honey Bee

Pickerelweed and Honey Bee

Pickerel Weed and Honey Bee