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Sagittaria latifolia

bird's-eye pearlwort, broad-leaf arrowhead, common arrowhead, duck-potato, Indian potato, sagittaire latifoliee, wapato

awl-leaf arrowhead

Habit Herbs, perennial, to 45 cm; rhizomes absent; stolons present; corms present. Herbs, perennial, to 40 cm, on tidal muds; rhizomes absent; stolons present; corms present.
Leaves

emersed;

petiole triangular, erect to ascending, 6.5–51 cm;

blade sagittate, rarely hastate, 1.5–30.5 × 2–17 cm, basal lobes equal to or less than remainder of blade.

submersed, phyllodial, lenticular, 5–40 ´ 0.1–0.4 cm, or rarely floating;

petiole terete, 2.4–4 cm;

blade linear-lanceolate to ovate, 1–2.5 ´ 0.3–1.5 cm.

Inflorescences

racemes, rarely panicles, of 3–9 whorls, emersed, 4.5–28.5 × 4–23 cm;

peduncles 10–59 cm;

bracts connate more than or equal to ¼ total length, elliptic to lanceolate, 3–8 mm, delicate, not papillose; fruiting pedicels spreading, cylindric, 0.5–3.5 cm.

racemes, of 2–7 whorls, floating, 2–11 ´ 1.5–4.5 cm;

peduncles 5–40 cm;

bracts connate more than ¼ total length, subulate, 1.5–4.2 mm, delicate, not papillose; fruiting pedicels recurved, cylindric to club-shaped, 0.2–1.1 cm.

Flowers

to 4 cm diam.;

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

filaments cylindric, longer than anthers, glabrous; pistillate pedicellate, without ring of sterile stamens.

0.4–1.2 cm diam.;

sepals spreading to recurved in staminate, erect in pistillate, enclosing flower or fruiting head;

filaments dilated, longer than anther, glabrous; pistillate pedicellate, occasionally with ring of sterile stamens.

Fruiting

heads 1–1.7 cm diam;

achenes oblanceoloid, without abaxial keel, 2.5–3.5 × to 2 mm, beaked;

faces not tuberculate, wings absent, glands (0–)1(–2);

beak lateral, horizontal, 1–2 mm.

heads 0.55–0.8 cm diam.;

achenes oblanceoloid, abaxially keeled, 2 ´ 1.5 mm, beaked;

faces not tuberculate, wings 1–2, crenate, glands 0–1;

beak lateral, erect, 0.2–0.4 mm.

2n

= 22.

= 22.

Sagittaria latifolia

Sagittaria subulata

Phenology Flowering summer–fall. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Wet ditches, pools, and margins of streams and lakes Streams and brackish bays
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 ft) 0–100 m (0–300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; c Mexico; s Mexico; Central America (Guatemala); South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; MA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NY; PA; RI; SC; VA; South America (Colombia)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sagittaria latifolia has been divided into numerous species and varieties. It was divided into two varieties, based upon the presence of pubescence over the entire vegetative plant (C. Bogin 1955; K. Rataj 1972). We have examined numerous specimens and found that many from the southeastern United States are pubescent; we believe that this character alone is insufficient for recognition of the varieties.

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

Sagittaria subulata occurs in shallow brackish waters near the coast. The plants are especially common in areas that are exposed during low tides.

(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. cuneata, S. demersa, S. engelmanniana, S. fasciculata, S. filiformis, S. graminea, S. guayanensis, S. isoetiformis, S. kurziana, S. lancifolia, 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. secundifolia, S. teres
Synonyms S. latifolia var. obtusa, S. latifolia var. pubescens, S. ornithorhyncha, S. planipes, S. pubescens, S. viscosa Alisma subulatum, S. lorata, S. subulata var. natans
Name authority Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 4(1): 409. (1805) (Linnaeus) Buchenau: Abhandlungen herausgegeben vom naturwissenschaftlichen Vereine zu Bremen 2: 490. (1871)
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