Summary ²

Lizard's tail is a hardy, aquatic perennial that has a hairy, erect stem with few or no branches and can reach up to 1 to 4 ft. tall. It grows in both fresh and brackish water and is common in shallow water or along the moist shores of swamps and lakes. It is named for the long, slender, arching floral spikes that mature into clusters of brown capsules and resemble the tail of a lizard. When in bloom the tiny, fragrant clusters of flowers are white or yellowish-white, and 6-8 in. long. They bloom from June through September, but with Florida’s very mild winters they can bloom earlier in the year. The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, with veins that converge toward the base, and have an arrowhead or heart shape with rounded lobes. They grow from 4 to 6 in. long and are dark green in color. The leaf bases clasp around the hairy stem of the plant. The plants reproduce by runners and often grow in clumps or thick stands.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) t_kok, all rights reserved
2. (c) t_kok, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora of North America (beta)
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Go Botany
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• USDA PLANTS database
• VASCAN by Canadensys
• World Flora Online

Range Map

(c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

iNat Map