Species › Plants › Broadleaf Arrowhead

Broadleaf Arrowhead

Sagittaria latifolia

CommonPlant
Illustration of Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)

Broadleaf Arrowhead is a distinctive native aquatic and emergent wetland plant with large, arrowhead-shaped leaves and whorled spikes of white, three-petaled flowers. Found in shallow water and muddy shores across most of North America, it produces starchy underground tubers called 'duck potatoes' that were a major food source for Indigenous peoples and are eagerly consumed by ducks and geese. The tubers were called wapato and were an important trade item among Pacific Northwest tribes.

Habitat
Found in shallow ponds, marshes, stream margins, and ditches across North America.
Diet
Starchy tubers consumed by Canada geese, mallards, and other waterfowl; flowers attract native bees.
How common
Common

Best time to see a Broadleaf Arrowhead

The best time to see a Broadleaf Arrowhead is July–August, when about 65% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 12,328 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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