''Sagittaria graminea'', the grassy arrowhead or grass-leaved arrowhead,
is an
aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater). They are also referred to as hydrophytes or macrophytes to distinguish them from algae and other microphytes. A macrophyte is a plant that ...
species native to eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
.
Description
It is a perennial herb up to tall with narrow, grass-like
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
about in length and wide.
A very thin flower-bearing stalk raises to about above water. The flowers are about wide, with three petals and three sepals; typically the upper flowers only have stamens (male), while lower flowers have only pistils (female).
The seeds appear in a head about 1.5 cm wide.
Subspecies
A long list of varietal and subspecific names have been proposed over the years. Most have either been elevated to the species level or relegated to synonymy. As of April 2014, only two are recognized:
*''Sagittaria graminea'' subsp. ''graminea''
*''Sagittaria graminea'' subsp. ''weatherbiana''
(Fernald) R.R.Haynes & Hellq.
Distribution and habitat
The species is known from every
Canadian province from
Ontario to
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
, and every US state from the
Great Plains
The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...
to the
Atlantic, plus
Colorado,
New Mexico and
Cuba. It is considered naturalized in
Washington state and in
Vietnam.
It grows in wet areas such as marshes and the banks of rivers and lakes.
References
External links
*
Missouri Botanical Garden, Plant Finder, Gardening Help, ''Sagittaria graminea''Plants for a FutureLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of TexasCenter for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, University of Florida IFAS
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15601416
graminea
Flora of Cuba
Flora of Eastern Canada
Flora of New Mexico
Flora of the Eastern United States
Flora of the United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
Freshwater plants
Plants described in 1803
Taxa named by André Michaux