Taxonomic history:
1753: Linnaeus described this species as Pontederia cordata in Species Plantarum, 1st ed., p. 288 of Ray Society 1957 facsimile.
Today: The current name for this species is Pontederia cordata L.
original Latin diagnosis
Pontederia foliis cordatis, floribus spicatis.
English translation
Pontederia with leaf blades cordate [and] with flowers spicate.
| Pontederia | Pontederia |
| with leaf blades | foliis - ablative plural of second declension neuter noun folium, -i |
| cordate | cordatis - ablative plural of group A adjective cordatus, -a, -um; modifies foliis |
| [and] | [added for smoother reading] |
| with flowers | floribus - ablative plural of third declension noun flos, floris |
| spicate. | spicatis - ablative plural masculine of group A adjective spicatus, -a, -um; modifies floribus |