Archive for 'Pontederiaceae'

Pontederia reflexa

Pontederia reflexa

These plants grow in a pond right outside the buildings of SouthWild Pantanal. I find the long leaves quite decorative and a plant worthy of any natural garden. Native range is Bolivia and Brazil.

Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

At first this looks like a starved water Hyacinth, and you might pass on to find one with a grand inflorescence. When you take a closer look you’ll see that it’s not a floating plant, but is rooted in the soil, and thus will be submerged in floods, but can also be swept away and […]

Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

Tropical Pickerelweed (Pontederia rotundifolia)

At first this looks like a starved water Hyacinth, and you might pass on to find one with a grand inflorescence. When you take a closer look you’ll see that it’s not a floating plant, but is rooted in the soil, and thus will be submerged in floods, but can also be swept away and […]

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

When a sea of water hyacinths are in bloom you forget for a moment that this is a weed like no other – it can block rivers for years on end! All the plants are completely suffocating life below, and is a green desert most of the year, but now it’s a beautiful meadow.

Pickerel Weed (Pontederia parviflora)

Pickerel Weed (Pontederia parviflora)

On the way to SouthWild Pantanal from Porto Jofre I encountered this species of water hyacinth as I was wading out to an orchid, a fantastic specimen too, with a pollinating bee busy visiting every single flower. I later also found them growing at SouthWild Pantanal. Most of us think of the pink, and completely […]

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Beautiful flowers on a plant species that in some instances can block all human activities. There are many rivers that have been totally blocked for years on end, only unplugged by an abnormal flood. Native range is tropical South America