Broadleaf arrowhead
Sagittaria latifolia · Aquatic plants
Flowers or seeds · Photo: Anne Parker / CC BY
Also called Broadleaf arrowhead (wapato), Duck potato, Wapato, wapato, Common arrowhead
How to identify Broadleaf arrowhead
- Large arrow shaped leaves with long lobes
- White flowers with 3 petals in whorls of 3
- Milky sap
- Tubers at the ends of runners
Similar plants
Northern arrowhead is smaller with narrower leaves; pickerelweed has heart shaped leaves and blue flowers.
Growth profile
| Growing season | Leaves emerge in May and June, flowers July to September, dies back after frost and overwinters as tubers. |
|---|---|
| Starts growing | About 55 to 60 F water; full sun |
| Light | Needs full sun |
| Depth | Moist shoreline to about 2 feet of water |
| How it spreads | Tubers, runners and seeds |
| Habitat | Marshes, pond edges, ditches and slow backwaters on soft mud. |
Why it matters in a lake
Tubers are eaten by ducks, geese and muskrats, and were a traditional food.
Where it is found
- Idaho: Common
- Oregon: Common
- Wyoming: Occasional
Classification
| Kingdom | Plantae |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Alismatales |
| Family | Alismataceae |
| Scientific name | Sagittaria latifolia |
Broadleaf cattail
Hardstem bulrush
Reed canarygrass
Purple loosestrife
Soft rush
Yellow flag iris
Western water hemlock
Beaked sedge
Baltic rush
Common spikerushNeed a hand?
Is it taking over your lake?
We identify what is growing, map how much of it there is and build a control plan that targets it without harming the rest of the lake.
Idaho / Wyoming (208) 501-4531Oregon (541) 280-0596