#pontederia

[faguscarolinensis]

Pontederia cordata / Pickerelweed at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[blackswallowtailbutterfly]

Succulents Part 12--Bergenia, Bromeliads, Commelina, Orchids, Pontederia, and whatever that green thing is

Succulents are a wide variety of plants, spanning multiple orders. Some have succulent leaves while others have succulent stems. Cactuses are succulents, but not all succulents are cactuses. Defining what exactly makes a succulent is a little tricky. For example, cabbage leaves are considered by some to be succulent, but tulip and onion leaves apparently aren't.

All photos mine. Unedited.

The green thing is maybe a spurrey, but I'm not sure. It's clearly a succulent, though. And that's all I got for you in the succulent department (not technically: milkweeds are succulent, but I have enough photos of them for a separate series)! Hope you've enjoyed. :)

Please don't grow water hyacinth (the light purple ones in the bottom photos), though if you're not in its native range. It's terribly invasive in the waterways. You can grow its native cousins, though! In southern Ontario, that's Pontederia cordata (pickerelweed).

Dayflower (the blue ones) on the other hand is native to the northeastern USA bordering southern Ontario and has crossed the border some time back. :)

[laurentdo-blog]

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Tuesday 18 August 2020

In the ponds of the Beth Chatto Garden, Essex, UK, the Pontederia cordata (pickerel weed) was covered in flowers. This marginal aquatic perennial forms a spreading clump of erect, overlapping, bright green leaves with spikes of small purple flowers. The local bees were enjoying these late summer flowers.

Jill Raggett

[dendroica]

Pickerelweed, Pontederia cordata (by me)

[faguscarolinensis]

Pontederia cordata / Pickerelweed at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[faguscarolinensis]

Bombus impatiens on Pontederia cordata / Common Eastern Bumblebee on Pickerelweed at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

[faguscarolinensis]

Pontederia cordata / Pickerelweed at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC