Practical
Plants

Sagittaria graminea

Chinese Arrowhead

an annual or perennial member of the Sagittaria genus in the family Alismataceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual, perennial
Height
0.5 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - cooked. Contains 4 - 7% protein[2]. Young shoots - cooked[2].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Ontario, south to Texas and Florida.
Habitat
Shallow water and muddy or sandy shores[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A pond or bog garden plant, it requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position[1][3]. Prefers shallow, still or slowly flowing water up to 30 - 60cm deep. The edible roots are commonly found in Chinese markets[2]. There is some confusion over this name. The report that this plant is edible gives the name as S. sinensis and its range as Asia. However, the RHS Dictionary of Gardening says that S. sinensis is a synonym of S. graminea and that its range is Eastern N. America.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  4. Livingstone. B. Flora of Canada National Museums of Canada 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-660-00025-3

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