Broad-leaved Arrowhead

Scientific Name: Sagittaria latifolia. The genus Sagittaria is derived from the Latin word sagitta, meaning arrow, referencing the arrow shaped leaves of plants in this genus. The species name also refers to the leaf shape—latifolia is Latin for broad-leaved.¹

Common Name: Broad-leaved arrowhead. What do you see when you look at the leaves? Are you reminded of a broad arrowhead? The shape of the leaf is what gives this plant its common name. Wapato is a name used by Indigenous people who eat the plant’s starchy tubers. The tubers resemble potatoes and are also eaten by waterfowl, giving us the name duck potato!^1,2

Family: Alismataceae (Water Plantain Family). Despite being a family of only 113 species, plants from this family are found in all parts of the world except Antarctica! They are most common in the Northern Hemisphere. These plants like their feet wet! They grow in shallow water and swamps, or damp places like wet sand or muddy banks. Many reproduce and spread through their horizontal stems called rhizomes (when underground) or stolons (when on the ground), and some have tasty tubers too. Leaves are strongly nerved and grow from the base of the plant. Flowers have 3 green sepals and 3 petals (may be white, pink, purple, or sometimes yellow) and dry fruits.^3,4

Average Height: 1-3 feet

Description: A perennial plant that grows in shallow water or wet places with basal leaves and flowering stems that extend above the water. Colonies of these plants may develop as they can spread through horizontal roots, which also produce tubers. The green to yellow-green leaves are strongly nerved, untoothed, and measure 4–14” long and 3–10” across. The leaves are shaped like arrowheads, with the lobes at the base of the leaves pointing downward or outward. These basal lobes are often as long or longer than the main (upward pointing) part of the leaf. The stems of the leaves are rounded on one side and flat on the other, measuring 6–18” long. The flowers are arranged in 2–8 whorls on the flowering stalk, with flowers maturing from the bottom upwards. Each whorl typically consists of 2-3 flowers measuring up to 1 ½” across, each with 3 white round petals and 3 green sepals. Most plants have both male and female flowers, with female flowers located below the male flowers on the flowering stalk. The female flowers have a small, green, ball-like cluster of pistils, while the male flowers have yellow stamens. Can you find both types of flowers? Ball-like fruits consist of a dense cluster of dried fruits with single seeds. They measure up to ¾” across and will mature from green to dark brown.^1,3,5

Bloom time: Jun – Oct

Notes: There is quite a bit of variability in these plants. Scientists sometimes recognize different varieties of Sagittaria latifolia—S. latifolia var. latifolia, which is hairless with narrower leaves and is found in eastern Virginia, and S. latifolia var. pubescens, which is hairy with broader leaves and is found in the Piedmont and mountains of Virginia. More study needs to be done to better understand these varieties!^2,3

Range: Documented in almost all counties in Virginia, this plant is frequent to locally common throughout the state. The range of the broad-leaved arrowhead includes all states except Nevada, but it is more frequent in the east and midwest. Also found in Canada from Newfoundland west to British Columbia.^2,9,10

Geology/Soil: Favors shallow, standing or slow-moving water up to 1 foot deep or other wet locations. Prefers rich soils with some organic material.^1,5

Habitat: Grows in a variety of wetland habitats including freshwater marshes, swamps, alluvial forests, stream banks, and pond edges, as well as ditches and other wet disturbed areas.^1,2,3,5

Flora associations: Found with other species that prefer moist to wet soils. At Greenbrier Park, this includes species such as white turtlehead (Chelone glabra), green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus), arrow-leaf tearthumb (Persicaria sagittata), and sallow sedge (Carex lurida).

Fauna associations: Many different bees such as bumblebees (Bombus spp.), Halictid bees, and little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.) visit these flowers for nectar and pollen. Other insect visitors attracted to the flowers include butterflies, flies, and beetles. Some insects feed on other parts of the broad-leaved arrowhead, such as the larvae of the cattail borer moth (Bellura obliqua) which mines the leaves, weevils (Listronotus spp.) which feed on flowers and stems, leaf beetles (Donacia spp.), the larvae of the catocaline dart moth (Cryptocala acadiensis), and wetland-loving grasshoppers (Paroxya spp.). Dragonflies (order Odonata) may even lay their eggs in the leaves of the broad-leaved arrowhead, where the larvae may then drop into the water—see the photo below! The seeds and tubers are a source of food for waterfowl like the wood duck (Aix sponsa), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris) and northern pintail (Anas acuta), to name a few. Remember—one name for Sagittaria latifolia is duck potato! Muskrats, porcupines, and turtles are a few other animals known to eat the tubers.^1,5,6,7

Human associations: The tubers of Sagittaria latifolia are edible and may be prepared by boiling, baking, or roasting. Many Indigenous people eat the tubers, but have also found medicinal uses for the plant. The Haudenosaunee use decoctions to treat rheumatism, boils, and constipation, while the Chippewa use it to help with indigestion. The Cherokee use an infusion of the leaves to help treat fever in babies. The tubers of a species of Sagittaria are also eaten in China and Japan. This has led to Sagittaria latifolia being grown in the San Francisco Bay area to meet a demand for this food in the Chinese markets.^6,8

We want these plants to thrive and for everyone who gets to visit the park to enjoy them, so remember – don’t pick flowers or other parts of the plant!!

1 “Sagittaria Latifolia – Plant Finder.” Missouribotanicalgarden.org, 2025, www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275651&isprofile=1&basic=arrowhead. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

2 “Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Sagittaria Latifolia Willdenow.” Vaplantatlas.org, 2025, www.vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=10&search=Search. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

3 Weakley, A.S., J.C. Ludwig, and J.F. Townsend. 2012. Flora of Virginia. Bland Crowder, ed. Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project, Inc., Richmond. Fort Worth: Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, pp. 983-990.

4 “Alismataceae | Plant Family.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/plant/Alismataceae. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.

5 “Common Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia).” Www.illinoiswildflowers.info, www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/cm_arrowhead.htm. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

6 Stevens, Michelle, and M. Kat Anderson.”Plant Guide: BROADLEAF ARROWHEAD”. United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_sala2.pdf. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

7 “Species Cryptocala Acadiensis – Catocaline Dart – Hodges#11012.” Bugguide.net, 2024, bugguide.net/node/view/33858. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

8 “BRIT – Native American Ethnobotany Database.” Brit.org, 2025, naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=sagittaria+latifolia. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

9 “NatureServe Explorer 2.0.” Natureserve.org, 2025, explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.146682/Sagittaria_latifolia. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

10 “2014 BONAP Maps by States.” Bonap.net, 14 Dec. 2014, bonap.net/FieldMaps/Home/SingleMap?taxonId=327&mapType=County. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.

Definitions:

Rhizome: A horizontal, underground stem from which a new plant may grow.

Stolon: A horizontal stem on the ground from which a new plant may grow.

Whorl: A ring-like arrangement of similar parts issuing from a common point.