Flowers in Israel: Pickerel weed

Pontederia cordata, Pickerel weed,
Hebrew: פונטדריה לבובה


Scientific name:		Pontederia cordata L.
Common name:		Pickerel weed
Hebrew name:		פונטדריה לבובה
Family:		Pontederiaceae, פונטדריים


Life form:		Helophyte
Leaves:		Alternate, entire, saggitate (arrow)
Flowers:		Purple-blue
Flowering Period:		Summer
Habitat:		Humid habitats
Chorotype:		Tropical
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name:

Pontederia, named for G. Pontedera (1688-1757), Professor of Botany at Padua, Italy.

cordata, i.e. with two equal rounded lobes at base, literally “of good heart”.
The Hebrew name: פונטדריה, pontederia, a transliteration from the scientific name.

The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.

_{Location: Martha’s exotic Backyard}