Pickerelweed
| Botanical Name | Pontederia cordata |
| Common Names | pickerelweed |
| Family | Pontederiaceae (pickerel weed Family) |
Pickerelweed is very easy to cultivate and should be a part of any water garden. Young leaves can be eaten as a salad green or potherb, and the nutritious, starchy seeds can be eaten fresh, dried or roasted. In nature, pickerelweed provides important cover for wildlife, and helps wetlands filter polluted water.
Pickerelweed in common in wetlands, from Minnesota and Nova Scotia, southward to Texas and Florida, the West Indies and all the way to Argentina.
Plant pickerelweed in the margins of a garden pond or water garden. You can plant it in a pot, then set the pot in the water. That way you can change the depth and position of the plant if necessary. Cut flowers are strikingly beautiful when viewed up close, and although each individual flower lasts only one day, more will open each day and the entire infloresence will last for several days in a vase of water.