Water Plants
Pontederia hastata
Royal pickerel rush
Also known as: Pontederia dilatata
A larger pickerel plant with upright, elongated leaves and prominent blue flower spikes. It gives a shallow-water planting a taller, tropical-looking backdrop; allow room for the rhizomes and protect them from winter freezing.
At a glance
- Sun
- Full sun
- Pond placement
- Roomy pond-margin basket.
- Water depth
- Moist soil to 10 in. of water above soil for a mature plant.
- Winter care
- Published hardiness estimates differ; protect the pot and rhizomes from freezing.
- Mature size
- Height: 4–6 ft. (supplier range) · Spread: 1 ft. or more; expanding clump
- Water
- Wet soil or shallow water
- Bloom
- Blue spikes; summer.
Measure water above the planting soil, not total pond depth.
Sizes & prices
- 6''$36.99
Catalog updated September 8, 2026. This is not a live stock count; please call to confirm availability and price.
Ask about this plantSelect a section to expand.
Resistance & tolerances
- Wet soil
- Shallow-water pond plant.
Water garden care
- Planting method
- Aquatic basket for pond-edge planting; keep spreading roots contained.
- Spread
- Keep in a container and divide crowded rhizomes.
- Feeding
- Use aquatic-plant fertilizer according to its label; avoid late-season feeding in cold climates.
Sources & photo credits
Kew Science, Plants of the World Online
Photo: Hendrik Wiethase · CC BY-SA 3.0
Image notes: Royal pickerel rush (Pontederia hastata; synonym Monochoria hastata). Photo: Hendrik Wiethase / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized from the original.
Reviewed September 27, 2026. Growing conditions vary by location.