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Sagittaria sagittifolia - L.

Common Name

Arrow Head, Hawaii arrowhead

Family

Alismataceae

USDA hardiness

6-9

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Ponds, canals and slow flowing water on muddy sub-strata in water up to 45cm deep, in acid or calcareous conditions[17].

Range

Most of Europe, including Britain, temperate Asia and N. America.

Edibility Rating

(5 of 5)

Other Uses

(0 of 5)

Weed Potential

Yes

Medicinal Rating

(1 of 5)

Care (info)




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Summary

Sagittaria sagittifolia (commonly "Arrowhead") is a flowering wetland perennial native to temperate Europe and Asia. It commonly grows in standing, or slow-moving water, 10-50 cm deep. Arrow-shaped leaves are produced at the terminal end of a petiole up to 45 cm long. Edible starchy tubers are found at the base of long, slender roots in the fall, as leaves die back. A similar plant, Sagittaria latifolia, is common to the west coast of North America, and can be used in the same manner.

Physical Characteristics

Sagittaria sagittifolia is a PERENNIAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in).
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers wet soil and can grow in water.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Sagittaria japonica.

Plant Habitats

Pond; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Root
Edible Uses:

Root - cooked[2, 4, 13, 56]. Excellent when roasted, the taste is somewhat like potatoes. The tubers are starchy with a distinct flavour[116]. The tubers should not be eaten raw[200].The skin is rather bitter and is best removed after the tubers have been cooked[183]. Tubers can also be dried and ground into a powder, this powder can be used as a gruel etc or be added to cereal flours and used in making bread[55, 94].The roots (tubers really) are borne on the ends of slender roots, often 30cm deep in the soil and some distance from the parent plant. The tubers of wild plants are about 15cm in diameter and are best harvested in the late summer as the leaves die down. The dried root contains (per 100g) 364 calories, 17g protein, 1g fat, 76.2g carbohydrate, 3.1g fibre, 5.8g ash, 44mg calcium, 561mg phosphorus, 8.8mg iron, 2,480mg potassium, 0.54mg thiamine, 0.14mg riboflavin, 4.76mg niacin and 17mg ascorbic acid. They contain no carotene[218]. Leaves and young stems - cooked[183]. Somewhat acrid.

References More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antiscorbutic Diuretic Galactofuge

The plant is antiscorbutic, diuretic[4]. The leaf is used to treat a variety of skin problems[218]. The tuber is discutient, galactofuge and may induce premature birth[218].

References More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

References More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

A pond or bog garden plant, it requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position[1]. Prefers shallow, still or slowly flowing water up to 30 - 60cm deep[200]. Plants are fairly cold tolerant, surviving temperatures down to at least -10°c, though the top growth is damaged once temperatures fall below zero. They grow best in warm weather and require at least a six month growing season in order to produce a crop[206]. A polymorphic species, the sub-species S. sagittifolia leucopetala is extensively cultivated for its edible bulb in China where there are many named varieties[2, 56, 61].

References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Celsius Fahrenheit:

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Plant Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a pot standing in about 5cm of water. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and gradually increase the depth of water as the plants grow until it is about 5cm above the top of the pot. Plant out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Division of the tubers in spring or autumn. Easy. Runners potted up at any time in the growing season.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

TEMPERATE ASIA: Lebanon, Turkey, Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation-Western Siberia (Western Siberia), Russian Federation-Eastern Siberia (Eastern Siberia (west)), China (Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu) EUROPE: Denmark, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Russian Federation (European part), Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Russian Federation (Kalmykija, Respublika, Astrakhan, Saratov, Volgogradskaja oblast), Ukraine (incl. Krym), Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Croatia, Italy (incl. Sardinia), Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, France, Portugal

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it's worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants

Latin Name	Common Name	Habit	Height	Hardiness	Soil	Shade	Moisture	Edible	Medicinal	Other
Sagittaria aginashi		Perennial	0.0	-	LMH	N	WeWa	1	0
Sagittaria brevirosta	Short-Beaked Arrow Leaf	Perennial	1.2	-	LMH	N	WeWa	2	0
Sagittaria chapmanii	Chapman's arrowhead	Perennial	0.5	-	LMH	N	WeWa	0	0
Sagittaria cuneata	Wapato, arumleaf arrowhead	Perennial	0.8	5-9	LMH	N	WeWa	4	1
Sagittaria graminea	Chinese Arrowhead, Grassy Arrowhead, Weatherby's arrowhead	Annual/Perennial	0.5	5-9	LMH	SN	WeWa	1	0	0
Sagittaria latifolia	Duck Potato, Broadleaf Arrowhead	Perennial	1.2	6-9	LMH	N	WeWa	5	1	0
Sagittaria rigida	Sessile-Fruited Arrowhead	Perennial	0.8	6-9	LMH	N	WeWa	3	0
Sagittaria sagittifolia leucopetala		Perennial	1.0	-	LMH	SN	WeWa	3	1
Sagittaria trifolia	Chinese Arrowroot, Threeleaf arrowhead	Perennial	1.0	10-12	LMH	SN	WeWa	4	2	0

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.