Practical
Plants

Sagittaria sagittifolia

Arrow Head

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
1 m
Spread
0.5 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

Root - cooked[6][10][3][12]. Excellent when roasted, the taste is somewhat like potatoes. The tubers are starchy with a distinct flavour[2]. The tubers should not be eaten raw[7].The skin is rather bitter and is best removed after the tubers have been cooked[5]. Tubers can also be dried and ground into a powder, this powder can be used as a gruel etc or be added to cereal flours and used in making bread[11][14].The roots (tubers really) are borne on the ends of slender roots, often 30cm deep in the soil and some distance from the parent plant. The tubers of wild plants are about 15cm in diameter and are best harvested in the late summer as the leaves die down. The dried root contains (per 100g) 364 calories, 17g protein, 1g fat, 76.2g carbohydrate, 3.1g fibre, 5.8g ash, 44mg calcium, 561mg phosphorus, 8.8mg iron, 2,480mg potassium, 0.54mg thiamine, 0.14mg riboflavin, 4.76mg niacin and 17mg ascorbic acid. They contain no carotene[9]. Leaves and young stems - cooked[5]. Somewhat acrid.

Plant part
Leaves
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.

The plant is antiscorbutic, diuretic[10]. The leaf is used to treat a variety of skin problems[9]. The tuber is discutient, galactofuge and may induce premature birth[9].

Product or use
Antiscorbutic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Galactofuge

Environment

Range
Most of Europe, including Britain, temperate Asia and N. America.
Habitat
Ponds, canals and slow flowing water on muddy sub-strata in water up to 45cm deep, in acid or calcareous conditions[4].
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 30 - 60cm deep[7]. Plants are fairly cold tolerant, surviving temperatures down to at least -10°c, though the top growth is damaged once temperatures fall below zero. They grow best in warm weather and require at least a six month growing season in order to produce a crop[8]. A polymorphic species, the sub-species S. sagittifolia leucopetala is extensively cultivated for its edible bulb in China where there are many named varieties[6][12][13].

References

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

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  2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986-00-00

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  3. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

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  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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

    ↩1↩2

  6. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  8. Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4

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  9. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

  11. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

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

    ↩1↩2

  13. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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

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