Plant: perennial aquatic herb; free-floating; vegetative stem condensed, except when branching; flowering stem glabrous, up to 25 cm long, the lower internode reflexing after flowering; reproduces quickly by vegetative means Leaves: emersed, blade rounded, 2.5-11 cm long, 3.5-9.5 cm wide, obtuse at apex; petiole at least slightly swollen (sometimes greatly so), 3.5-38 cm long Inflorescence: a spike with 4-15 flowers, all normally open the same day; peduncle glabrous, 5.0-12.5 cm long; spathe obovate, 4-11 cm long Flowers: blue or violet-blue, the tube 10-12 mm long, the tepals obtuse, 16-37 mm long, the central upper tepal with a dark blotch in the center and a yellow spot within the blotch; upper stamens 14-19 mm long; lower stamens 20-35 mm long; anthers 1.7-2.1 mm long. Pistil tristylous Fruit: an elongate capsule with longitudinal dehiscence, rarely produced, about 10 mm long; SEEDS FRUIT an elongate capsule with longitudinal dehiscence, 1.1-2.1 mm long Misc: Canals in Phoenix area; eutrophic waters REFERENCES: Horn, Charles N. 1998 Pontederiaceae. J. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. 30(2): 133.