Encyclopedia - Plants for ponds
Pontederia cordata
Pontederia cordata
Понтедерия (лат. Pontederia) — is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants, a very attractive waterside plant with striking glossy leaves, forms attractive clumps, does not become invasive, and blooms later than many other marginal plants. Several species (from 3 to 8) of this genus grow in shallow water and on silty shores in the Western Hemisphere, from the tropics to the warm-temperate zone (in eastern Canada).
The name was given in honor of the 18th-century Italian botanist G. Pontedera (G. Poutedera).
Pontederia cordata grows in shallow water and on marshy banks of rivers and lakes from the tropics to the warm-temperate zone in eastern North America, from Florida and Texas to Ontario and Nova Scotia; it extends into Canada and is found naturalized in Western Europe.
Plants up to 60 cm tall. Rhizomes thick, horizontal. Forms compact stands. Emergent leaves glossy, lanceolate or ovate with cordate or sagittate bases, numerous, on long petioles. Leaf blade 10-25 cm long and up to 18 cm wide.
Flower stalks numerous, each with one leaf similar to the basal leaves. Inflorescence a spike; flowers blue-violet or blue, bilabiate. The upper lip entire, the lower three-lobed. Two yellow spots on the upper lip. Stamens and pistil blue. Flowers from early summer to mid-autumn.
Position: requires a sunny warm site and nutrient-rich soil. Planting depth - 8-
Care: does not tolerate soil freezing. In a mild climate it may overwinter under an ice cover if the pond does not freeze to the bottom. It is advisable to grow in containers so it can be taken into a greenhouse for the winter or moved to other storage.
Propagation: by dividing rhizomes at the end of spring and by seeds sown in very moist soil. Division during dormancy often causes rhizome rot.