Water Hawthorn, Cape pondweed, Vleikos
Aponogeton distachyos
Family: Aponogetonaceae
What it is like
Aponogeton distachyos is a PERENNIAL. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers wet soil and can grow in water.
Height (m): 0
Where it is found
Pond margins in water 15 - 60cm deep.
S. Africa. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Tuber - roasted. Starchy. Considered to be a great delicacy. Flowering spike - pickled or used as a spinach or asparagus substitute. The young shoots are used as an asparagus substitute. The flowers are used as a flavouring.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 0
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
A water plant, growing in water 15 - 60cm deep. it can also grow in wet soil but is then very restricted. It requires a rich soil. The tubers are not winter hardy. Another report says that the plants are hardy in the milder areas of Britain. They have withstood a fairly severe winter in Cornwall, when the ponds had thick ice 30cm or more deep, with very little damage. A very ornamental plant, the flowers have a hawthorn-like scent.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown in a pot as soon as it is ripe and kept emmersed in 3cm of water. The seed can also be stored in water and sown in spring. It usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in just covered in water in a greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division can be carried out at any time in the growing season, though mid to late spring is probably best. The divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions.
Best place to grow: Pond; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 8-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Wet, water
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Aponogeton distachyos or Aponogeton distachyum, also known as waterblommetjie (lit. trans. water-floret), Cape-pondweed, water hawthorn, vleikos and Cape pond weed