Pontederia cordata (Pickerelweed)

A perennial aquatic plant native to the Americas from eastern Canada to northern Argentina, Pontederia cordata, or Pickerelweed, belongs to the Pontederiaceae family. It grows rooted in mud in marshes and shallow water, with upright stems and stalked leaves that range from lance-shaped to heart-shaped. Dense spikes bear small violet-blue flowers with yellow markings. Its populations have three flower forms with different style and stamen lengths, a condition called tristyly that promotes mating between the forms. Branching rhizomes also allow the plant to spread into large clonal stands. It has received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit. Photographed in the department of Quindío, Colombia.