Pontederia cordata (Pickeral Weed)
Pontederia cordata (Pickeral Weed)
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Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) expresses the viable seed content of a seed lot using its purity and germination or viability test results. It helps you compare seed lots and calculate how much bulk seed is needed to meet a specified PLS planting rate.
PLS weight and bag weight
PLS weight is not the same as the total weight of seed in a bag. For example, a lot with 80% purity and 75% viability contains 60% PLS: 80 × 75 ÷ 100 = 60. Supplying 10 lb PLS from that lot requires about 16.67 lb of bulk seed.
Use the current seed test and the stated basis of the mix specification. Germination calculations may include applicable hard or dormant seed. Seed-count estimates also require the number of seeds per pound; PLS alone does not provide a seed count.
What to check when buying a mix
Check whether each rate is stated in PLS pounds, bulk pounds, or a combination. A mix with both bases should not be described as having an all-PLS total.
PLS does not remove weed seeds or guarantee establishment. Review the seed label and analysis for weed content, and match site preparation, planting conditions and follow-up management to your project.
Sources: USDA NRCS, Understanding Pure Live Seed and The Importance of Seed Quality for Natural Resource Conservation.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
Pickerelweed flowers over an extended summer season in shallow water or wet shoreline soil. Keep its roots wet; a drying border does not match this aquatic plant.
Sun exposure for Pontederia cordata: full to partial sun. Soil conditions: shallow water to wet, mucky soil. Recorded habitats include shallow marshes; Swamps; Bogs; Ponds; Sheltered slow-moving river margins. Reported height: about 1-3 ft.
Growth habit: loose basal clumps with long-running rhizomes; clonal colonies can become large. Allow space for this growth between neighboring plants over several seasons, rather than spacing only for the size of a young plant.
Plant specifications
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Full to partial sun |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | Shallow water to wet, mucky soil |
| Height | About 1-3 ft |
| Bloom season | Summer and early fall |
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
| Growth habit | Loose basal clumps with long-running rhizomes; clonal colonies can become large |
|---|---|
| Root form | Long-running rhizomes and coarse fibrous roots |
| Soil pH | Published cultivation guidance lists neutral soil conditions; no optimal numeric interval is established. |
| Cultivation hardiness zones | Zones 3a–10b (general cultivation guidance) |
| Drought tolerance | Emergent aquatic plant that does not tolerate drying out well |
| Deer browsing | White-tailed deer occasionally browse the foliage. |
| Salt tolerance | Low |
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Pontederia cordata |
|---|---|
| Other common names | pickerelweed; Pickerelweed; Pickerel Weed |
| Plant family | Pontederiaceae |
| Seeds per pound — reference estimate | 4992. Clean seeds per pound; approximate species average, not a seed-lot test or PLS percentage.
USDA NRCS Iowa Native Seed Calculator (2024), species reference table, PDF p. 19; 312 seeds/oz × 16; https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/api/CPSFile/47969/Native_Seeding_Calculator_2024 Reviewed: 2026-09-26. Reference review status: no exact comparator. |
Plant characteristics
One of the most beautiful plants of our local wetlands with it's heart-shaped leaves and deep violet flowers. Quite unique blooms dance in succession from the bottom up over the water in mid-summer. Pontederia cordata is found typically in shallow emergent wetlands and quiet backwater areas along streams and rivers. It prefers to grow in saturated mucky organic-rich soils that stay inundated or moist all of the year. Given time, this beautiful plant can fill in large areas by spreading though tubers to cover shallow wetlands.
We have read that the seeds can be eaten like nuts and the young leaf-stalks cooked as greens or raw as salad greens.
- Flower Time June, July, August
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
State nativity describes a broad range. Use the Chicago-region assessment for local context; a state listing does not establish county nativity.
| Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest | OBL |
|---|---|
| C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 | 9 |
| Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 | Yes |
| Native range — U.S. states | Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; West Virginia; Wisconsin |
| County nativity | Not yet verified; occurrence records do not establish nativity. |
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects
This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.
Moths
- Bellura obliqua — Cattail Border Moth, Cattail Diver
- Niphograpta albiguttalis — Waterhyacinth Moth (listed as introduced in the source)
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for Pickeral Weed?
Light: Full to partial sun. Soil moisture: Shallow water to wet, mucky soil.
Is Pickeral Weed deer and herbivore resistant?
White-tailed deer occasionally browse the foliage. Even plants described as resistant may be browsed. Use physical protection where deer damage is a concern.
When should I expect Pickeral Weed to bloom?
Typical flowering period: Summer and early fall. Timing varies with location and weather.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online; USACE National Wetland Plant List.
Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA NRCS PLANTS; NC State Extension Plant Toolbox.
Wildlife records: Shropshire & Tallamy: caterpillar hosts (2025).
Native range does not identify the origin of the seed or plants offered. Community and wildlife records apply to the locations and conditions described.
Research notes & credits
USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.
Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.
Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.
Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.
Caterpillar research records
Plant: Pontederia cordata
Record scope: Host literature synthesis; no county nativity or local insect occurrence inferred.
Shropshire & Tallamy (2025) · Original research dataset · Reuse license: ODbL-1.0
| Plant names in the source | Source insect record IDs |
|---|---|
| Pontederia cordata | 201796, 208785 |
How these records were selected
To reproduce this selection, use the “UDELep May 2025” worksheet in the original research dataset.
- Match the insect record IDs above to column A (UDLepID). Within each table row, pair every listed insect ID with every listed source plant name.
- Use the first two words in column H for the insect’s scientific name, column E for its common name, and column AB for its source category.
- Treat the selected pairs as reported caterpillar host records. Keep all other source fields unchanged and outside this selected table. Include no other rows or host pairs.
- Group butterflies and skippers together, and the other categories as moths. Retain the source’s exotic-category labels and sort display names by scientific insect name.
Growing guidance: Illinois Extension — Keeping deer out of the yard and garden. Selected facts in original wording. General deer advice is not a species resistance rating.
Planting references and review
Reviewed: 2026-09-26
Plant spacing:Species-specific spacing needs review. Select a spacing suited to your site and planting design.
Seeding rate: Use a site- and method-specific specification. No verified automatic species rate is supplied.
Seed preparation: A species-specific preparation method and named code system need confirmation for the supplied seed lot.
Plant Shipping & Care
Plant Shipping & Care
We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.
As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.
Choices to Receive Your Plants & Accessories
- Retail online orders: Plant and seed orders ship only, except eligible trees and shrubs offered for pickup. Shipping charges are calculated at checkout.
- Retail pickup — trees and shrubs only: Pickup is available by prior arrangement for eligible woody plants. Some container options are offered for scheduled pickup only. Check the selected product option and the cart pickup instructions before ordering. Pickup and shipped items require separate orders.
- Wholesale orders: Plants, trees and shrubs are available for pickup by arrangement. Delivery can also be arranged for your order. Wholesale pickup is free. All seed orders ship, including wholesale seed.
- Pickup locations and dates are confirmed by email. Please wait for confirmation before traveling to a pickup site. Our offices are not retail stores or nursery pickup locations.
Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready
We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.
Wholesale Orders
- Plant pickup and delivery are arranged for your order. Seed ships only.
Retail & Website Orders
- Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
- Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
- Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
- If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months.
- Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
- Your order may arrive in several different shipments.
- If certain plants within an order will not be available until a later date, we may choose to hold the full order until all are ready. In certain circumstances, we may choose to send them in two separate shipments
- Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability. We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish. If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date. If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
- Plants are typically only packaged and shipped on Mondays to ensure they do not sit in the harsh delivery facility for extended periods of time over the weekend. You will receive a confirmation email once your delivery has been shipped and to estimate your delivery date.
- Apparel & accessories are ready typically within one to two weeks. See product page for holiday shipping.
Where We Ship
Natural Communities ships native plants and seed from multiple supplier locations across the Midwest. Shipping coverage extends beyond our local consultation area; see the shipping map below. Availability and delivery options depend on the product and destination. Check the product details and shipping options at checkout, or contact us before ordering if you need help confirming coverage.
Our on-site ecological consulting serves the greater Chicago region and southeastern Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee area. Consultations take place at your property by appointment. Our offices are not walk-in retail stores or plant pickup sites.
What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery
- Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
- We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.
Shipments
- Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.
What to Do With Your Plants After Receiving Your Delivery
- Unpack your order IMMEDIATELY
- Inspect for damage and report any issues immediately to Natives@NaturalCommunities.net
- Water your plants
- Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
- If you cannot install your plants immediately
- Some plants may not be in a container, put them into some kind of a container such as a paper cup with loose soil until installation
- Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.
We have attempted to put together some basic information regarding native seed installation, establishment, and maintenance. We hope you find it helpful. If you need further assistance on native seed establishment, please schedule a free consolation call here.
Consultation Services
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Native Seed Stratification Best Management Practices
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