Practical
Plants

Sagittaria latifolia

Duck Potato

a perennial member of the Sagittaria genus in the family Alismataceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
1.2 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

Root - raw or cooked[15][3]. Excellent when roasted, the texture is somewhat like potatoes with a taste like sweet chestnuts[16][17][18][4][9]. The tubers can be eaten raw but they are rather bitter (especially the skin)[16][2][4]. It is best to remove this skin after the tubers have been cooked[5]. The tubers can also be dried and ground into a powder, this powder can be used as a gruel or mixed with cereal flours and used to make bread[16][18]. The N. American Indians would slice the boiled roots into thin sections and then string them on ropes to dry in much the same way as apples[5].The egg-shaped tubers are 4 - 5cm long and are borne on the ends of slender roots, often 30cm deep in the soil and some distance from the parent plant[16][17][18]. The tubers are best harvested in the late summer as the leaves die down[17][19]. They cannot be harvested by pulling out the plant since the tops break off easily, leaving the tubers in the ground[7].

Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

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

A poultice of the leaves has been used to stop milk production[8]. A tea made from the roots is used as a digestive[8][10]. A poultice of the roots is used in the treatment of wounds and sores[8][10].

Product or use
Digestive
Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
N. America - all areas except the far north. Naturalized in various parts of Europe[12].
Habitat
Ditches, ponds, lakes and swampy areas in most parts of N. America[14].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 7+
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]. Prefers shallow, still or slowly flowing water up to 12cm deep[1][13]. Hardy to at least -20°c[6]. A polymorphic species[17].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  2. Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-394-72811-4

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  3. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  4. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  6. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩

  7. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩

  8. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Turner. N. J. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples UBC Press. Vancouver. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7748-0533-1

    ↩

  10. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2

  11. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

  12. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  13. Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7

    ↩

  14. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

  15. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

  16. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  17. Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-520-00072-2

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  18. Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962-00-00 ISBN 0-911010-54-8

    ↩1↩2↩3

  19. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

    ↩

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