Wapato, arumleaf arrowhead
Sagittaria cuneata

Family: Alismataceae

What it is like

Sagittaria cuneata is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6. It is in flower from July to August. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers wet soil and can grow in water.

Height (m): 0.8

Where it is found

Calcareous or muddy shores and shallow waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, pastures, and ditches, occasional in tidal waters, or in deep flowing water with slow current; 100 - 2500 metres.

N. America - Nova Scotia to British Columbia, south to Connecticut, Kansas, and California.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Root - raw or cooked. Slightly bitter raw, the roasted tubers are sweet-tasting. Those tubers found at the end of the rootstock are the best. When broken off from the roots the tubers rise to the water surface and are then easily gathered.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 1

The plant has been used to treat headaches. The corms have been eaten as a treatment for indigestion.

Analgesic: Relieves pain.

Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

A pond or bog garden plant, it requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position. Succeeds in shallow, still or slowly flowing water. Plants are usually monoecious but dioecious forms are sometimes found. A very polymorphic species. In mud or shallow water the leaves are broad, but in deep water the plant only produces long slender leafstalks. This plant has potential for commercial cultivation as a root crop.

Propagating it: 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.

Best place to grow: Pond; Bog Garden;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 5-9

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Wet, water

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Sagittaria arifolia.