Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus)

Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus)

Lizard’s Tail is one of the most charming and ecologically important native aquatic plants of the Louisiana bayou — a colony-forming perennial whose nodding white flower spikes curve gracefully at the tip like a lizard’s tail, blooming from May through August in the shallow water margins of swamps, bayous, and freshwater marshes. Its heart-shaped leaves and fragrant flowers make it one of the most beautiful native plants for water gardens and naturalized bayou landscapes.

Botanical Profile

• Family: Saururaceae (Lizard’s Tail family)
• Native Range: Eastern North America from Quebec to Florida and west to Texas; native to Louisiana swamps, bayou margins, and freshwater marshes
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4–10
• Mature Size: 2–3 feet tall; spreads by rhizomes to form colonies
• Bloom Time: May–August
• Sun: Part shade to full shade
• Soil/Water: Wet to moist; tolerates standing water 0–6 inches deep; thrives in swamp and bayou conditions

Traditional Uses

Lizard’s Tail root was used medicinally by the Houma people of Louisiana and other Gulf South Indigenous nations as a poultice for wounds and skin ailments, and as a root tea for general debility. The plant has documented anti-inflammatory properties from its neolignans and aristolactam compounds.

Ecological Role

Lizard’s Tail provides dense emergent cover for frogs, turtles, crawfish, and aquatic invertebrates. Its spreading colonies stabilize bayou banks and filter nutrients from water. Its flowers support native bees and small butterflies.

In the Cajun Healing Garden

Part of the Jardin — The Healing Garden collection at Big Mamou Enterprises, Lizard’s Tail is a plant of quiet beauty and deep bayou heritage — a traditional Traiteur plant and an ecological cornerstone of the Louisiana wetland garden.