Bog plants: Arrowhead

Both Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria cuneata are aquatic plants growing in swampy ground or standing water in ponds. They can be planted by seed, bulb or division.  Like most aquatic bog plants Arrowsheads like to be in shallow water. Arrowheads are named so from the shape of the leaves which are of course a very large leaf with a pointed edge.

Arrowhead plants are the best way to make your Koi pond or water gardens look like a lush and tropical paradise. Perfect for any pond, Arrowheads grow in very shallow water and are not aggressive against other plants that might be thriving alongside it. Arrowheads also have small, attractive flowers that can bloom all summer long. The shape and color of Arrowheads can often help balance the amount of flowers and other vibrant plants in bloom.  Arrowheads have historically been a very important plant not only for it beauty but also as a food source.

After roasting, some tubers were dried and stored for winter use. The Chippewa gathered the “Indian potatoes” in the fall, strung them, and hung them overhead  in the wigwam to dry. Later they were boiled for use. The tubers of Sagittaria species were eaten by many different indigenous groups in Canada, as well as  many groups of Washington and Oregon The tubers were also widely traded from harvesting centers to neighboring areas.  The tubers were also a major item of commerce on the Lower Columbia in Chinook Territory. Medicinally, the Maidu of California used an infusion of arrowhead roots to clean and treat wounds. The Navajo use these plants for headaches. The Ojibwa and the Chippewa used Sagittaria species as a remedy for indigestion. The Cherokee used an infusion of leaves to bathe feverish babies, with one sip given orally. The Iroquois used it for rheumatism, a dermatological aid,  and a laxative. The Iroquois used it as a ceremonial blessing when they began planting corn. Lewis and Clark found it at the mouth of the Willamette and considered it equal to the potato, and valuable for trade. Indian women  collected it in shallow water from a canoe, Tubers are baked in fire embers, boiled, or roasted in the ashes. Tubers are skinned and eaten whole or mashed

Wildlife: Tubers are planted as an wildlife food. Ducks eat the small, flat seeds of arrowheads, but the tubers are the most valuable to wildlife. Muskrat and porcupine are known to eat the tubers. Swans, geese, wood ducks, blue-winged teal, lesser and greater scaup, ruddy duck, ring necked duck, pintail, mallard, mottled duck, gadwall, canvasback, black duck and king rail are known to eat arrowhead seeds and tubers. Even Koi have been known to nibble on the roots. For wildlife use,  the tubers of  Sagittaria latifolia are often too large and too deeply buried to be useful to ducks

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS Web site or the Plant Materials Program Web site

resourse: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center at (Web Site)

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Bog Plants: Arrowhead