Lizard's Tail earns its name from those tapering white flower spikes, which curl at the tip as they develop and carry a faint fragrance of sassafras and citrus. The plant is native across much of the eastern United States, occurring naturally in swamps, shallow streams, and along pond edges, where it colonizes over time into generous stands of glossy, heart-shaped green leaves. It is one of those plants that softens the hard line between land and water without any effort at all.

Plant it in 2 to 5-gallon containers submerged at the shallow margin of a pond, or in consistently wet soil at the water's edge. It spreads steadily by rhizome and can be divided in spring to control its spread or share with neighboring gardens. Hardy in zones 3 through 9, it dies back to the ground in winter and returns reliably each spring. Deer leave it alone, and serious pest and disease problems are essentially unknown.