Three plants from the North American swamps

Three interesting plants of the Everglades that often grow close to each other. 

Pickerelweed and Florida Swamp Lily - Photo: Stilt Gravity.
Pickerelweed and Florida Swamp Lily - License our images here.

Two of them are edible, but the third one is poisonous. All grow in muddy soil and their flowers are beautiful. 

Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)

Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)

Also known as Indian Potato or Wapato, this plant has arrow-shaped leaves and flowers with three white petals and a cluster of yellow in the center. 

The advice is to collect them in early spring or the fall. The tuber can be roasted or boiled, made as chips, or mashed. It has a potato-like texture. 

More info:


Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) - Photo: Still Gravity.

Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)

Another swampy plant that has leaves and violet-blue flowers that grow above the water level. Butterflies and bumblebees love pickerelweed. It also serves as nursery for the eggs of dragonflies. 

The leaves of pickerelweed work as green for salads. Some folks roast the seeds as nuts. More info on Pickerelweed on this page.

And now, let’s see the poisonous beauty. 

Swamp Lily (Crinum americanum) - Photo: Still Gravity.

Swamp Lily (Crinum americanum)

This star-shaped white flower is also known as Southern Swamp Lily or Florida Swamp Lily. It's a perennial of wetlands, swamps, and marshes. 

Like most lilies, this one is toxic to humans and some animals - especially cats. Lubber Grasshoppers love to eat them. 

Beautiful and dangerous white flower.

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