Sagittaria latifolia

Common Names

Duck Potato, Wapato, Broadleaf Arrowhead, Common Arrowhead, Arrowhead

Summary

Broadleaf Arrowhead, an emergent aquatic perennial in the water-plantain family, grows 1–3 feet tall with arrowhead-shaped leaves and white flowers with yellow centers that bloom in summer. It forms dense colonies from submerged tubers and spreads by stolons, providing wildlife with tubers and seeds. Native to wetlands across much of North America, including marshes, ponds, swamps, and stream margins, it is valued for ornamental foliage and as a pond-edge plant.

Cultivation emphasizes full sun to partial shade and consistently moist to wet soils; it is hardy in USDA zones 3–11 and thrives in shallow water or saturated soils, making it suitable for water gardens, bog gardens, and container plantings. Propagation occurs by division and by stolons, with seeds enabling spread; tubers are edible to wildlife and were historically eaten by Indigenous peoples, and plantings can naturalize, so periodic deadheading helps manage spread.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

1-3 feet

Spread

12-36 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 5-10

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun; tolerates partial sun, partial shade, and shade.

Soil Type

Moist to wet, organic-rich soil

Soil Drainage

Wet, water-saturated to waterlogged soils with standing or shallow water.

Soil pH

Not specified, tolerates a range of soil pH values; grows best in rich soils.

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Summer to Fall

Foliage Color

Dark green

Fall Foliage Color

Green

Leaf Lifecycle

Deciduous

Growth Rate

Fast growth rate.

Seasons of Interest

Summer and Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Division, Vegetative propagation via rhizomes/runners (stolons), Tubers

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts birds