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arum-leaf arrowhead, northern arrowhead, sagittaria cuneaire, tule potato, wapato

little river arrowhead

Habit Herbs, perennial, to 110 cm; rhizomes absent; stolons present; corms present. Herbs, perennial, to 50 cm; rhizomes coarse; stolons absent; corms absent.
Leaves

emersed, floating, and submersed; submersed phyllodial, flattened, to 45 cm; floating with petiole triangular, to 100 cm, blade cordate or sagittate, rarely linear or ovate, 7.5–9 × 3.5–4 cm; emersed with petiole recurved, 3.5–51 cm, blade linear to sagittate, 2.5–17 × 1.5–11 cm, basal lobes when present shorter than remainder of blade.

mostly submersed, rarely emersed, sessile, phyllodial, flattened to lenticular, 5–30 × 0.2–0.5 cm.

Inflorescences

racemes, rarely panicles, of 2–10 whorls, emersed, 14–21 × 2–10 cm, peduncle triangular, 10–50 cm;

bracts connate more than or equal to ¼ total length, lance-attenuate or acute, mostly (4–)7–40 mm, membranous, not papillose; fruiting pedicels ascending, cylindric, 0.5–2 cm.

racemes, of 2–5 whorls, emersed, 1.5–8 × 1–7 cm;

peduncles 1–2.5 cm;

bracts connate more than or equal to ¼ total length, lanceolate, 0.5–1.5 mm, delicate, not papillose; fruiting pedicels spreading, cylindric, 0.6–2.5 cm.

Flowers

to 25 mm diam.;

sepals recurved, not enclosing flower or fruiting head;

filaments not dilated, equal to or longer than anthers, glabrous;

pistillate pedicellate, without ring of sterile stamens.

to 2.5 cm diam.;

sepals recurved to spreading, not enclosing flower or fruiting head;

filaments dilated, shorter than anthers, minutely tomentose;

pistillate pedicellate, without ring of sterile stamens.

Fruiting

heads 0.8–1.5 cm diam.;

achenes obovoid, abaxially keeled, 1.8–2.6 × 1.3–2.5 mm, beaked;

face not tuberculate, wings 0–1, ± entire, glands 0–1;

beak apical, erect, 0.1–0.4 mm.

heads 0.5 cm diam;

achenes obovoid-triangular, abaxially keeled, 2 × 1 mm, beaked;

faces tuberculate, wings 1, scalloped or toothed, glands 0–1;

beak lateral, incurved-erect, 0.3 mm.

2n

= 22.

Sagittaria cuneata

Sagittaria secundifolia

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer (Jun–Sep). Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat Calcareous and muddy shores and shallow waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, pastures, and ditches, occasional in tidal waters, or in deep flowing water with slow current Riverine shoals and pools
Elevation 100–2500 m (300–8200 ft) 300–400 m (1000–1300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TX; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; LB; MB; NB; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
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from FNA
AL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sagittaria cuneata is extremely variable. On emersed plants, the leaf petioles are often bent toward the ground. Submersed plants often grow from a basal rosette with a long flexuous petiole and a floating sagittate leave. Plants in deep rivers often develop broad, straplike phyllodia.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

The rhizomes of Sagittaria secundifolia grow in crevices of bedrock along the Little River in Alabama. During lower water periods, the plant flowers, with peduncles reaching the water surface, and flowers more or less floating on the water.

Of conservation concern.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 22. FNA vol. 22.
Parent taxa Alismataceae > Sagittaria Alismataceae > Sagittaria
Sibling taxa
S. ambigua, S. australis, S. brevirostra, S. cristata, S. demersa, S. engelmanniana, S. fasciculata, S. filiformis, S. graminea, S. guayanensis, S. isoetiformis, S. kurziana, S. lancifolia, S. latifolia, S. longiloba, S. montevidensis, S. papillosa, S. platyphylla, S. rigida, S. sanfordii, S. secundifolia, S. subulata, S. teres
S. ambigua, S. australis, S. brevirostra, S. cristata, S. cuneata, S. demersa, S. engelmanniana, S. fasciculata, S. filiformis, S. graminea, S. guayanensis, S. isoetiformis, S. kurziana, S. lancifolia, S. latifolia, S. longiloba, S. montevidensis, S. papillosa, S. platyphylla, S. rigida, S. sanfordii, S. subulata, S. teres
Synonyms S. arifolia
Name authority E. Sheldon: Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 20:283, plate 159. (1893) Kral: Brittonia 34: 12, fig.1. (1982)
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