PICKERELWEED 



Pontederia cordata Linnaeus 



On the flats bordering the Anacostia River in Washington, the rank 

 growths of the various marsh plants form a broad belt of vegetation 

 of striking appearance. Perhaps because of their color, the flowers of 

 pickerelweed are not so conspicuous as those of some other members 

 of the colony, but in spite of this its glossy green leaves, borne well 

 above the surface of the water, and its ragged spikes of small blue or 

 lavender flowers, continuing in bloom through most of the summer, 

 are a delight to behold. Without a boat it is almost impossible to gather 

 the blooms, growing from the soft mud that supports the outer pha- 

 lanxes of aquatic plants. The flowers of the pickerelweed, which last 

 but a single day, are in three forms. They do not produce seeds without 

 the aid of insects, and it is an interesting study to examine them in 

 detail with a glass and note the complicated structure by which they 

 are able to obtain the greatest amount of benefit from their insect 

 visitors. Giulio Pontedera, professor of botany at Padua about 1730, 

 is commemorated by the generic name. 



Pickerelweed is found from Florida to Texas and northward to 

 Minnesota and Nova Scotia, and grows also in tropical America. 



The specimen sketched was obtained near Washington, District of 

 Columbia. 



PLATE 2.9 



