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Pontederia cordata - L.

Pickerel Weed

Author	L.	Botanical references	200, 235, 270
Family	Pontederiaceae	Genus	Pontederia
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Florida andTexas. A garden escape occ naturalized in Britain[17]
Habitat	Marshes and borders of muddy ponds[55].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.75m by 0.45m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats

Pond; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed.

Seed - raw, cooked like rice or dried and ground into a powder[55, 62, 106, 183]. A very acceptable nutty flavour and texture when raw, they are said to be excellent if the seed is lightly roasted in an oven[183]. Young leafstalks - raw or cooked[62]. The whole plant is edible cooked or raw[106]. It can be added to salads, cooked like spinach or added to soups[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Contraceptive.

An infusion of the plant has been used as a contraceptive[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

A water or bog garden plant, it requires a rich soil[56] and prefers growing in water 15 - 30 cm deep[1]. Plants are hardy to about -25°c[187]. A very ornamental plant, it forms spreading patches by means of a thick creeping rhizome[187]. There is a species of bee (Dufourea novae-angliae) which visits this plant for nectar and pollen and does not visit any other species of plant[103]. The reproductive biology of Pontederia cordata has been well studied. It is a tristylous species, and most populations contain all three forms. At least some degree of self-incompatibility exists, being strongest with the short-style forms and weakest with the midstyle forms[270].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in pots standing in 2cm of water in a cold frame. Cover the seed lightly with silver sand. Submerse in 3cm depth of water after the seedlings emerge[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in water in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division is best in April but it can be done at almost any time of the year[1]. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer. Lateral shoots.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: The Edible Pond and Bog Garden.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.

[56] Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7
Deals with a wide range of plants for temperate areas (and indoor aquaria) with quite a lot of information on cultivation techniques.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[103] Haywood. V. H. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press 0 ISBN 0-19-217674-9
Very readable and well illustrated, it lists plants by families giving the basic diagnostic features and some details of plant uses.

[106] Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press 1975 ISBN 0-87857-090-x
Interesting reading but short on detail.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[270] Flora of N. America 0
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Pontederia cordata

Lars Andersen Sat Dec 16 2006

In some cases, raw seeds of pickerel weed cause swelling, blistering and numbness in the mouth - extremely uncomfortable lasting for about a day. I know this from first-hand experience.

Adventure Outpost history and lore of over 40 Florida rivers, including plant and animal lore.

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