Pontederia
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 Pontederia cordada
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Pontederia cordada |
Pontederia is a genus of aquatic plants, commonly called the pickerel weeds. Pontederia is endemic to the Americas, distributed from Canada to Argentina, where it is found in patrially submerged in shallow water or on mud. The genus was named by Linnaeus in honour of the Italian botanist Giulio Pontedera.
Pontederia plants have large waxy leaves, succulent stems and a thick pad of fibrous roots. The roots give rise to rhizomes that allow rapid colonization by vegetative reproduction. Species are perennial, and produce a large spike of flowers in the summer. There is a species of bee (Dufourea novae-angliae) that exculsively visits Pontederia cordada; waterfowl also eat the fruit of the plant.
