Saururus cernuus

Saururus cernuus, also known as swamp lily, is an aquatic perennial with rhizomes that grows in flooded and shaded banks. It is sometimes called lizard's tail due to its curious flowering spikes. It blooms throughout summer, raising long creamy-white and delicately scented inflorescences above its foliage. Bees adore these flowers. It forms an upright, compact, and spreading clump, with heart-shaped green leaves that have a paler underside. Vigorous and hardy, it is an excellent pond plant, both ornamental and highly sought-after for its purifying properties.

Saururus cernuus is a perennial plant in the Saururaceae family, related to houttuynia and anemopsis. It is a semi-aquatic plant native to the northeastern United States and Canada. This amazing plant spreads through robust and deeply anchored underground rhizomes. Eventually, it can reach a height of 30 to 60cm (12 to 24in) and form large colonies that can cover several square metres. Highly floriferous, it produces numerous fluffy inflorescences from July to September. These inflorescences, on average 20cm (8in) long, resemble swollen-based and tapered-tipped spikes, inclined towards the ground, and composed of tiny cream-white flowers with protruding stamens. The flowering leads to the formation of tiny berries containing a single small seed. In early spring, this perennial offers the unusual sight of its countless young shoots emerging from the ground, resembling lizard tails, intertwining with each other, each carrying a young ace of spades-shaped leaf at its tip. Over the course of days, the pinkish stems straighten up, and numerous leaves unfold, emitting a pleasant acidic fragrance. The mature leaves are lanceolate to cordate in shape, green on the upper side and paler to whitish on the underside.

It is an excellent plant for submerged to marshy areas in cool climates, which will easily establish itself on banks or in the mud of water bodies, under a maximum of 30cm (12in) of water. This amazing perennial has interesting purifying properties in large ponds, while offering unique and fragrant flowers. Thanks to its fairly rapid growth and spreading ability, it can be used as a large ground cover, alongside Nuphar lutea or water hyacinths. This perennial appreciates bright partial shade, rich and heavy soils, even clayey ones. When planting, it is important to consider that its powerful roots can damage pond liners.