{"product_id":"pickerelweed-pontederia-cordata","title":"Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) — Native Louisiana Aquatic Perennial","description":"\u003ch2\u003ePickerelweed \u003cem\u003e(Pontederia cordata)\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom June through October, Pickerelweed blooms violet-blue at the water's edge — continuous, generous, and impossible to miss. This is the premier native aquatic perennial for Louisiana water gardens: robust, glossy heart-shaped leaves, spikes of violet-blue flowers that draw native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the bayou margin all summer long, and the kind of ecological productivity that makes it a foundational plant of the Gulf South wetland. Remove it and the water changes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGrown and shipped from Big Mamou Enterprises — Bayou Self, Lake Charles, Louisiana.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBotanical Profile\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pontederia cordata\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFamily:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pontederiaceae (Water Hyacinth family)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative Range:\u003c\/strong\u003e Eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Texas; native to Louisiana bayou margins, pond edges, and slow-moving waterways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUSDA Hardiness Zones:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3–10\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMature Size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2–3 feet tall; spreads vigorously by rhizome in ideal conditions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBloom Time:\u003c\/strong\u003e June–October — one of the longest-blooming native aquatics available\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSun:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun to part shade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil\/Water:\u003c\/strong\u003e Emergent aquatic — grows in standing water 0–6 inches deep or in consistently wet soil\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEcological Role\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCritical nectar source for native bees, bumblebees, and butterflies from June through October. Seeds consumed by ducks and other waterfowl. Provides spawning habitat for fish and frogs, and shelter for aquatic invertebrates. Filters nutrients from water, improving water quality in ponds and slow-moving bayous. One of the easiest native aquatics to establish — and one of the most rewarding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCajun Heritage \u0026amp; Traditional Use\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eKnown in Cajun tradition as \u003cem\u003eherbe à canard\u003c\/em\u003e — duck herb — because the ducks ate it, the fish sheltered under it, and the Cajun families who fished the bayou knew it as a sign of good water. In the traiteur tradition, Pickerelweed was food medicine: seeds eaten raw, roasted, or ground into flour; young leaf stalks cooked as a green similar to spinach. Leaf tea was used as a mild regulator of menstrual cycles — a use documented across multiple Indigenous traditions in the Southeast. A sustaining medicine, not a dramatic one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIn the Cajun Heritage Garden\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePart of the \u003cem\u003eHeritage Garden\u003c\/em\u003e collection at Big Mamou Enterprises. Plant at pond edges, in water gardens, or in any low spot that holds water in full sun. Spreads freely by rhizome — give it room. A foundational plant of the bayou ecosystem and the essential native aquatic for the Louisiana water garden.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Big Mamou Enterprises","offers":[{"title":"4\"\/small","offer_id":49868941099248,"sku":null,"price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1 gal\/med","offer_id":49868941132016,"sku":null,"price":34.29,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"3gal\/large","offer_id":49868941164784,"sku":null,"price":58.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0824\/7171\/5056\/files\/image_15138da0-541f-496e-83d5-9c83e6cac9cc.png?v=1779905065","url":"https:\/\/realtimecajun.com\/products\/pickerelweed-pontederia-cordata","provider":"Big Mamou Enterprises","version":"1.0","type":"link"}