Sagittaria latifolia

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Sagittaria latifolia
Sagittaria latifolia (flowers).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Alismataceae
Genus: Sagittaria
Species:
S. latifolia
Binomial name
Sagittaria latifolia
Arrowhead, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 414 kJ (99 kcal)
20.23 g
Fat
0.29 g
5.33 g
Vitamins Quantity
%DV†
Thiamine (B1)
15%
0.17 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
6%
0.073 mg
Niacin (B3)
11%
1.65 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
12%
0.599 mg
Vitamin B6
20%
0.26 mg
Folate (B9)
4%
14 μg
Vitamin C
1%
1.1 mg
Minerals Quantity
%DV†
Calcium
1%
10 mg
Iron
20%
2.57 mg
Magnesium
14%
51 mg
Manganese
17%
0.36 mg
Phosphorus
25%
174 mg
Potassium
20%
922 mg
Sodium
1%
22 mg
Zinc
3%
0.28 mg
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA FoodData Central

Sagittaria latifolia is a plant found in shallow wetlands and is sometimes known as broadleaf arrowhead, [3] duck-potato, [4] Indian potato, or wapato. This plant produces edible tubers that have traditionally been extensively used by Native Americans.

Contents

Description

Sagittaria latifolia is a variably sized perennial, ranging from 2 to 20 metres (6+1⁄2 to 65+1⁄2 feet) in length and growing in colonies that can cover large areas of ground. The roots are white and thin, with the green and white mother plant producing white tubers ranging from 0.3 to 1 m (12 to 39+1⁄2 in) long and 0.15 to 0.6 m (6 to 23+1⁄2 in) deep, covered with a purplish skin. 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 [5] 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. [5] The flowers are about 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) wide [5] and usually divided into female on the lower part and male on the upper of the plant, although some specimens are dioecious. The flowers have three round, white petals and three very short curved, dark green sepals. Flower sex is easy to determine due to the dissimilarity between the 25 to 50 yellow stamens of the male and the sphere of green carpels of the female ones. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Distribution and habitat

Sagittaria latifolia, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Perade, Quebec, Canada Sagittaria latifolia 027.jpg
Sagittaria latifolia, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Quebec, Canada

Sagittaria latifolia is native to southern Canada and most of the contiguous United States, as well as Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Cuba. It is also naturalized in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Bhutan, Australia and much of Europe (France, Spain, Italy, Romania, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and European Russia). [14] In Mexico, it is reported from Campeche, Nayarit, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Puebla, Jalisco, Durango, Tlaxcala, Estado de México, Veracruz and Michoacán. [15]

It can be found in wet areas such as ponds and swamps. [5]

Ecology

Extremely frequent as an emergent plant, broadleaf arrowhead forms dense colonies on very wet soils that become more open as the species mixes with other species of deeper water levels. These colonies form long bands following the curves of rivers, ponds and lakes, well-marked by the dark green color of the leaves. The plant has strong roots and can survive through wide variations of the water level, slow currents and waves. It displays an affinity for high levels of phosphates and hard waters.

Despite the name "duck potato", ducks rarely consume the tubers, which are usually buried too deep for them to reach, although they often eat the seeds. Beavers, North American Porcupines, and muskrats eat the whole plant, tubers included. Native Americans are alleged to have opened muskrat houses to obtain their collection of roots. [16]

This plant is vulnerable to aphids and spider mites.[ citation needed ]

Cultivation

This plant is easily cultivated in 0.15 to 0.45 m (6 to 17+1⁄2 in) of water with no or little current. The tubers are planted well spaced (no more than 12 plants per square meter) at the end of May at a depth of 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 in). Fertilize with decomposed manure. They can be multiplied through seeding or division in July. The starchy tubers, produced by rhizomes beneath the wet ground surface, have long been an important food source to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, along with those of S. cuneata. [16] The tubers can be detached from the ground in various ways: with the feet, a pitchfork, or a stick, and after digging up, the tubers usually float to the surface. Ripe tubers can be collected in the autumn, and are also often found then floating freely. [17]

Uses

The starchy tubers were consumed by Native Americans [5] in the lower Columbia River basin, [18] [2] in addition to the Omaha [19] and Cherokee nations. [18] The tubers can be eaten raw or cooked for 15 to 20 minutes. The taste is similar to potatoes and chestnuts, and they can be prepared in the same fashions: roasting, frying, boiling, and so on. They can also be sliced and dried to prepare a flour. [20]

Other edible parts include late summer buds and fruits.[ citation needed ]

Culture

The name of Shubenacadie, a community located in central Nova Scotia, Canada, means "abounding in ground nuts" (i.e., broadleaf arrowhead) in the Mi'kmaq language.[ citation needed ]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alismataceae</span> Family of flowering plants comprising the water-plantains

The water-plantains (Alismataceae) are a family of flowering plants, comprising 20 genera and 119 species. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the greatest number of species in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Most of the species are herbaceous aquatic plants growing in marshes and ponds.

<i>Sagittaria</i> Genus of aquatic plants

Sagittaria is a genus of about 30 species of aquatic plants whose members go by a variety of common names, including arrowhead, duck potato, swamp potato, tule potato, and wapato. Most are native to South, Central, and North America, but there are also some from Europe, Africa, and Asia.

<i>Typha latifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Typhaceae

Typha latifolia, better known as broadleaf cattail, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Typha. It is found as a native plant species in North and South America, Eurasia, and Africa.

<i>Sagittaria sagittifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Alismataceae

Sagittaria sagittifolia is a flowering plant in the family Alismataceae, native to wetlands in most of Europe from Ireland and Portugal to Finland and Bulgaria, and in Russia, Ukraine, Siberia, Japan, Turkey, China, India, Australia, Vietnam and the Caucasus. It is also cultivated as a food crop in some other countries. In Britain it is the only native Sagittaria.

<i>Claytonia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Claytonia is a genus of flowering plants native to Asia, North America, and Central America. The vitamin-rich leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, and the tubers can be prepared like potatoes.

<i>Sagittaria fasciculata</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria fasciculata, the bunched arrowhead is a plant found in wetlands. This plant produces edible tubers that were heavily collected by the Native Americans as a food source. STATUS: Endangered, Federal Register, July 25, 1979

<i>Sagittaria montevidensis</i> Species of plant

Sagittaria montevidensis is a species of flowering plant in the water-plantain family Alismataceae. Common names include giant arrowhead and California arrowhead.

<i>Sagittaria lancifolia</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria lancifolia, the bulltongue arrowhead, is a perennial, monocot plant in the family Alismataceae, genus Sagittaria, with herbaceous growth patterns. It is native to the southeastern United States. It is known from every coastal state from Delaware to Texas. The species is also considered native to Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and northern South America. It has become naturalized on the Island of Java in Indonesia.

<i>Sagittaria cuneata</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria cuneata is a species of flowering plant in the water plantain family known by the common name arumleaf arrowhead or duck potato. Like some other Sagittaria species, it may be called wapato. It is native to much of North America, including most of Canada as well as the western and northeastern United States.

<i>Sagittaria longiloba</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria longiloba is a species of flowering plant in the water plantain family known by the common name longbarb arrowhead and Gregg arrowhead. It is native to the south-central and southwestern United States plus Mexico, Venezuela and Nicaragua. It is also reportedly naturalized in the western Himalayas of India and Bhutan. It grows in slow-moving, stagnant, and ephemeral water bodies such as ponds and small streams, and sometimes disturbed and cultivated habitat such as rice fields and irrigation ditches.

<i>Sagittaria sanfordii</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria sanfordii is an uncommon species of flowering plant in the water plantain family known by the common names valley arrowhead and Sanford's arrowhead that is endemic to California, where it is known from a few scattered occurrences on the North Coast and in the Central Valley. Many occurrences previously noted in the Central Valley and in southern California have been extirpated as the plant's aquatic habitat has been lost to human activity.

<i>Yucca aloifolia</i> Species of flowering plants belonging to the agave, yucca, and Joshua tree subfamily

Yucca aloifolia is the type species for the genus Yucca. Common names include aloe yucca, dagger plant, and Spanish bayonet. It grows in sandy soils, especially on sand dunes along the coast.

<i>Sagittaria platyphylla</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria platyphylla, the delta arrowhead, broad-leaf arrowhead or delta duck-potato, is a plant species native to the eastern United States. The core of its range extends from central Texas to the Florida Panhandle north to southern Illinois.

<i>Sagittaria isoetiformis</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria isoetiformis, common name quillwort arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species native to Cuba and to the southeastern United States.

<i>Sagittaria rigida</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria rigida, the sessilefruit arrowhead or Canadian arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species native to Canada and to the United States and also naturalized in Great Britain. It grows in shallow waters along the edges of ponds and streams. What is really interesting is that it has narrow oval leaves rather than the iconic arrowhead shaped leaves of species like the Sagittaria latifolia. it has sessile female flowers, which is where it gets its name from. Its flowers are very similar to other plants in the Sagittaria family, with three white petals. It grows "potato" like tubers which can be eaten. Gathering any tubers from the Sagittaria family can be dangerous if gathered from polluted water.

<i>Sagittaria teres</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria teres, the quill-leaved arrowhead or slender arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species in the genus Sagittaria native to the northeastern United States: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey.

<i>Sagittaria demersa</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria demersa, commonly called Chihuahuan arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species native to north-central Mexico and also from a few sites in the northern part of the US State of New Mexico.

<i>Sagittaria brevirostra</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria brevirostra, common name Midwestern arrowhead or shortbeak arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species native to North America. It is common in wet places in an area stretching from Michigan and Ohio south to Alabama and west to North Dakota, Colorado and northern New Mexico, plus isolated populations in Maryland, New Brunswick, Virginia, Saskatchewan and California.

<i>Sagittaria graminea</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria graminea, the grassy arrowhead or grass-leaved arrowhead, is an aquatic plant species native to eastern North America.

<i>Sagittaria macrophylla</i> Species of aquatic plant

Sagittaria macrophylla, common name papa de agua, is an aquatic plant species endemic to central Mexico, primarily in the region close to the nation's capital. It grows in clean, shallow, slow-moving water. It is considered threatened by habitat destruction due to urbanization.

References

  1. ↑ Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Sagittaria latifolia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T64324216A67730767. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64324216A67730767.en . Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  2. 1 2 Justice, William S.; Bell, C. Ritchie; Lindsey, Anne H. (2005). Wild Flowers of North Carolina (2. printing. ed.). Chapel Hill, NC: Univ. of North Carolina Press. p. 255. ISBN   0807855979.
  3. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Sagittaria latifolia". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  4. ↑ BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Spellenberg, Richard (2001) [1979]. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Western Region (rev ed.). Knopf. p. 335. ISBN   978-0-375-40233-3.
  6. ↑ CONABIO. 2009. Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. 1. In Capital Nat. México. CONABIO, Mexico City.
  7. ↑ Godfrey, R. K. & J. W. Wooten. 1979. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States Monocotyledons 1–712. The University of Georgia Press, Athens.
  8. ↑ Haynes, R. R. 1993. Alismataceae. 13: 7–20. In R. McVaugh (ed.) Flora Novo-Galiciana. The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
  9. ↑ Hickman, J. C. 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California 1–1400. University of California Press, Berkeley.
  10. ↑ Long, R. W. & O. K. Lakela. 1971. Flora of Tropical Florida i–xvii, 1–962. University of Miami Press, Coral Cables.
  11. ↑ Moss, E. H. 1983. Flora of Alberta (ed. 2) i–xii, 1–687. University of Toronto Press, Toronto.
  12. ↑ Radford, A. E., H. E. Ahles & C. R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas i–lxi, 1–1183. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.
  13. ↑ Voss, E. G. 1972. Gymnosperms and Monocots. i–xv, 1–488. In Michigan Flora. Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
  14. ↑ "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
  15. ↑ Zepeda Gómez, Carmen, Lot, Antonio. Distribución y uso tradicional de Sagittaria macrophylla Zucc. y S. latifolia Willd. en el Estado de MéxicoCiencia Ergo Sum [online] 2005, 12
  16. 1 2 Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 318. ISBN   0-394-50432-1.
  17. ↑ "58518-1". IPNI. 2004-07-14. Retrieved 2007-07-21. Alismataceae Sagittaria latifolia Willd. Sp. Pl. iv. 409.
  18. 1 2 Freedman, Robert Louis (1976). "Native North American Food Preparation Techniques". Boletín Bibliográfico de Antropología Americana (1973-1979). Pan American Institute of Geography and History. 38 (47): 127. JSTOR   43996285., s.v. Swamp Potato (wappato) Oregon
  19. ↑ "Native American Ethnobotany Database". Botanical Research Institute of Texas . Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  20. ↑ "Sagittaria latifolia - Willd. Duck Potato". Edible and medicinal plant database. Plants For A Future. June 2004. Retrieved 2007-07-20. Excellent when roasted, the texture is somewhat like potatoes with a taste like sweet chestnuts

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