Sagittaria latifolia
species of plant
Sagittaria latifolia is a wetland plant in the family Alismataceae, native to North America and northern South America; common names include broadleaf arrowhead, duck-potato, Indian potato, or wapato. This plant produces edible tubers that have traditionally been extensively used by Native Americans.
Description
Sagittaria latifolia is a variably sized perennial that may reach as much as 150 centimeters (5 ft) in height, but is more typically 60–120 cm (24–47 in). The plants often grow together in crowded colonies and spread by runners (stolons) at or just under the soil surface. In late summer the plants produce tubers that are twice as long as wide, each typically measuring 0.5 to 5 cm (1⁄4 to 2 in) in diameter.
The plant produces rosettes of leaves and an inflorescence on a long rigid scape. The leaves are extremely variable, from 10–50 cm (4–19+1⁄2 in) in length and 1 to 2 cm (1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in) thin to wedge-shaped like those of S. cuneata. Spongy and solid, the leaves have parallel venation meeting in the middle and the extremities. The inflorescence is a raceme about 90 cm (35 in) above water and composed of white flowers whorled by threes, blooming from July to September. The flowers are about 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) wide and usually divided into female on the lower part and male on the upper of the plant, although some specimens are dioecious.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2706066. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Sagittaria latifolia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.