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Sagittaria latifolia

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

annual sagittaria, California arrowhead, California lophotocarpus, giant arrowhead, hooded arrowhead, sagittaire spongieuse, spongy-leaf arrowhead

Habit Herbs, perennial, to 45 cm; rhizomes absent; stolons present; corms present. Herbs, annual or perennial, to 100 cm; rhizomes present; 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 and emersed; submersed leaves absent or phyllodial, flattened, to 17 × 2 cm; emersed leaves with petiole triangular, 21–55 cm, blade hastate to sagittate, 2.5–17.5 × 0.6–22 cm, lobes longer than or equal to remainder of blade.

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 or panicles, of 1–15 whorls, floating or emersed, 1.5–28 × 1.5–15 cm;

peduncles 15–47 cm;

bracts distinct or connate less than ¼ total length, lanceolate to elliptic, 4–34 mm, delicate, not papillose; fruiting pedicels recurved, club-shaped, 0.5–4.2 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.

2–5 cm diam.;

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

filaments cylindric, longer than anthers, glabrous;

pistillate pedicellate, with or without 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 1.2–2.1 cm diam.;

achenes oblanceoloid, not abaxially keeled, 2–4.3 × 0.7–1.5 mm, beaked;

faces not tuberculate, wings absent, glands 1;

beak lateral, horizontal, 0.4–0.8 mm.

2n

= 22.

Sagittaria latifolia

Sagittaria montevidensis

Phenology Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Wet ditches, pools, and margins of streams and lakes
Elevation 0–1500 m (0–4900 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; AR; CA; CO; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; NB; Mexico; South America
[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.)

Subspecies 3 (3 in the flora).

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

Key
1. Plants of tidal mud flats, often stranded by low tide, emersed blades spatulate, rarely sagittate.
subsp. spongiosa
1. Plants of fresh waters, not stranded by low tide; emersed blades hastate to sagittate.
→ 2
2. Pistillate flowers without ring of sterile stamens; petals with purple spot at base
subsp. montevidensis
2. Pistillate flowers with ring of sterile stamens; petals without purple spot at base.
subsp. calycina
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. papillosa, S. platyphylla, S. rigida, S. sanfordii, S. secundifolia, S. subulata, S. teres
Subordinate taxa
S. montevidensis subsp. calycina, S. montevidensis subsp. montevidensis, S. montevidensis subsp. spongiosa
Synonyms S. latifolia var. obtusa, S. latifolia var. pubescens, S. ornithorhyncha, S. planipes, S. pubescens, S. viscosa
Name authority Willdenow: Sp. Pl. 4(1): 409. (1805) Chamisso & Schlechtendal: Linnaea 2: 156. (1827)
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