Pontederia cordata

Heart-shaped leaves. Purple petals with yellow dots. Veins flat or embedded in leaf, not obvious (no primary veins, secondary veins visible and parallel).

Seeds germinate best in water under diffuse light. They should be stored in water at 34-38 degrees F. (1-3 C). If stored dry they should be pretreated by placing in water at 34-38 degrees F for 30 days (Muenscher 1936).

The seeds of pickerel weed are eaten by waterfowl and muskrats (Holmes 1990). Nutria also eat the seeds.

The Acadian French name for pickerel weed is "langue du boeuf," or "bull tongue," a name also used for Sagittaria lancifolia (Holmes 1990). The name results from the leaf shape.

Marshes, ditches in shallow water, and wet places.