GREEN KINGDOM 101 - Pickerelweed

PICKERELWEED

Cluster

Detail

Pickerelweed is an aquatic plant which grows three to four feet tall. Usually, you only see one or two feet, because the rest is underwater.Pickerelweed leaves are large and heart-shaped, growing up to 10 inches long. They have a long petiole (leaf stem).Pickerelweed grows in shallow freshwater, such as marshes, pond edges, lakes, and streamsides.This plant is most often recognized by its beautiful flowers. Pickerelweed has large spikes with clusters of violet-blue flowers. Each flower is small, less than half an inch wide. It has two small yellow spots on one petal.The nectar of Pickerelweed flowers attracts many insects, including bees and butterflies.Pickerelweed has long light green stems which stretch down under the water to an underground stem called a rhizome. Rhizomes grow in the muddy bottom and spread with roots to send up more Pickerelweed stems to the surface.