Botanical Family · Commelinales

Pontederiaceae

Pickerel-Weed Family

4 speciesOrder Commelinales4+ well-known plants

The Pontederiaceae family (Pickerel-Weed Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Commelinales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 4 species across 3 genera. Its members are predominantly herbs. Well-represented genera include Monochoria, Eichhornia and Pontederia. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Water Hyacinth, Leaf Pondweed and Pickerel Weed.

Browse all 4 species ↓

Representative specimen · Pontederiaceae

Key pattern

Broad, glossy, heart-shaped leaves on aquatic herbs, in one genus buoyed by a spongy, inflated leaf-stalk; showy, funnel-shaped flowers with six fused tepals last only a single day before wilting.

Water hyacinth's spongy, air-filled leaf-stalks let the whole plant float freely on the water surface, an adaptation that has made it one of the world's most aggressive invasive aquatic weeds.

Identify the species

Which Pontederiaceae species is this?

Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Pontederiaceae species.

Click a node to trace its path · pinch or scroll to zoom · drag to pan

HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?

Aquatic (floating in water)

Herb

Terrestrial (rooted in wet soil)

Notable members

Water HyacinthEichhornia crassipesLeaf PondweedMonochoria hastataPickerel WeedMonochoria vaginalisCommon Water HyacinthPontederia crassipes

All 4 species in PONTEDERIACEAE

Identify any Pontederiaceae plant in seconds

Point your camera and SASYA names the species on-device — offline and private.

Download SASYA — Free