Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria

View additional distribution information on the Jepson eflora

Sagittaria latifolia is a plant found in shallow wetlands and is sometimes known as broadleaf arrowhead, duck potato, Indian potato, or wapato. This plant produces edible tubers that were extensively used by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Broadleaf arrowhead is a variable-sized (0.2 to 1 meter) perennial growing in colonies that can cover large amounts of ground. The roots are white and thin, producing white tubers covered with a purplish skin a good distance (0.3 to 1 meter long, 0.15 to 0.6 meter deep) from the mother plant.

Plant type

Perennial herb

Size

8 - 59 in Tall

Form

Upright

Growth rate

Moderate

Calscape icon
Color

Yellow

Flowering season

Spring

Special uses

Water features or wet habitats

Sun

Full Sun

Soil description

Prefers loamy or clay soils. Grows poorly in sandy soils.

Sunset Zones

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6*, 7*, 8*, 9*, 10, 11, 12, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Site type

Ponds, slow streams, ditches

Plant communities

Freshwater Marsh, Wetland-Riparian