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1. Every Friday post a photo that includes one or more flowers.
2. Please only post photos you have authority to use.
3. Include a link to this blog in your post - http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/
4. Leave the link to your FloralFridayFoto post below on inlinkz.
5. Visit other blogs listed ... comment & enjoy!

When to Post:
inlinkz will be available every Thursday and will remain open until the next Wednesday.

Thursday 13 March 2014

FFF121 - PICKEREL WEED

Pontederia cordata, common name pickerelweed (USA) or pickerel weed (UK), is a monocotyledonous aquatic plant native to the American continent. It grows in a variety of wetlands, including pond and lake margins across an extremely large range from eastern Canada south to Argentina. A few examples include northern rivers, the Everglades and Louisiana.

The species grows as an emergent plant, that is, in flooded conditions, so the plant is generally dependent upon aerenchyma in the stem to carry oxygen into the roots. Its metabolism, is, however, also tolerant of low soil oxygen. It is often found in areas where water levels fluctuate naturally, with spring flooding and later summer emergence. Apart from flooding, the species is also influenced by soil fertility, tending to grow in the more fertile bays of large lakes, for example. Like many aquatic plants, it is negatively affected by salinity and grazing. It is also negatively affected by competition from other wetland plants. Like many wetland plants, it can survive unfavourable conditions as buried seeds in the soil.

The plant flowers in late summer. The purple flowers have yellow markings which may assist in attracting bees for pollination. One bee species known to pollinate the flowers is Dufourea (Halictoides) novaeangliae. Once the plant begins to produce seeds, the stem supporting the inflorescence bends to submerse the fruits and seeds. Seeds are dormant at the time of dispersal and will not germinate without stratification for 6-8 weeks.

Join me for Floral Friday Fotos and please leave a comment once you contribute.

8 comments:

  1. What a pretty flower (especially one called a weed!).

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  2. Beautiful flower and good info about the flower.

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  3. Love this blue, it's so wonderful!
    Wish you a nice weekend,
    moni

    Thanks if you visit my blog
    http://www.reflexionblog.de

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  4. What a lovely plant from the wetlands. Attractive color, attracts many insects I guess.

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  5. Such a beautiful blue flower. Here is my contribution for this week
    http://irisgreenwald.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/floral-friday-photo/

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  6. Ich liebe blau bei Blumen und diese sind besonders leuchtend.
    Danke auch für die Beschreibung dazu, da kann man gleich noch etwas dazu lernen.
    Ich habe heute auch wieder einen Beitrag bei dir verlinkt.
    Einen schönen Freitag und liebe Grüße
    Jutta.K

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  7. I have not heard of this flower and probably not seen it, I wonder if it is grown in the UK. Have posted my link so hope you get to visit one of my favourite spring flowers :)
    Jude xx

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  8. Wonderfull foto, greeting from Belgium

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