''Sagittaria montevidensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the

water-plantain ''Alisma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Alismataceae, members of which are commonly known as water-plantains. The genus consists of aquatic plants with leaves either floating or submerged, found in a variety of still water habit ...

family Alismataceae. Common names include giant arrowhead and California arrowhead.

Description

''Sagittaria montevidensis'' is a robust, stemless, rhizomatous,

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 ...

. The young ribbon-like leaves grow submerged, while the leaves of older plants emerge above the water surface. The leaves are sagitatte and glabrous, up to 28 centimeters long and 23 centimeters wide. Its terete, spongy petioles may reach a length of more than and are up to 3 inches thick. Inflorescences are typically shorter than the leaves and decumbent. Flowers are in whorls or pairs at nodes and have a diameter of two to three centimeters.. They have three

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s, each of which is white with a striking wine-colored stain, and three green sepals. The thick

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

are as long as . Flowering occurs from June to September.

Distribution

''Sagittaria montevidensis'' is widespread in wetlands of

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 ...

( United States, Canada, Mexico) and South America ( Brazil,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay). In North America, the distribution is disjunct, primarily in a wide area from West Virginia to Texas to South Dakota, but with isolated occurrences in New Brunswick, Maine, Connecticut,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, New Jersey, California, Florida and Alabama It is reportedly naturalized in Spain, Tanzania, and the Island of Java in Indonesia.

Habitat

It grows preferentially at the edges of ponds, in shallow and often only temporarily existing waters.

Subspecies

* ''Sagittaria montevidensis'' subsp. ''calycina'' (

Engelm. George Engelmann, also known as Georg Engelmann, (2 February 1809 – 4 February 1884) was a German-American botanist. He was instrumental in describing the flora (plants), flora of the west of North America, then very poorly known to Europeans; ...

) Bogin (syn. ''Sagittaria calycina'' Engelm.) – United States, Mexico * ''Sagittaria montevidensis'' subsp. ''montevidensis'' – South America * ''Sagittaria montevidensis'' subsp. ''spongiosa'' (syn. ''Sagittaria calycina'' var. ''spongiosa'' Engelm., ''Lophotocarpus spongiosus'' (Engelm.) J.G.Sm.) – Mid-Atlantic and

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

, New Brunswick in Canada File:Sagittaria montevidensis (aka).jpg, Giant arrowhead (''Sagittaria montevidensis'') File:Sagittaria montevidensis - blossom (aka).jpg, Close-up on a flower File:Alismataceae - Sagittaria montevidensis.JPG, Leaves of ''Sagittaria montevidensis'' at the

Orto Botanico dell'Università di Genova The Orto Botanico dell'Università di Genova (1 hectare), also known as the Orto Botanico di Genova, is a botanical garden operated by the University of Genoa, and located at Corso Dogali, Genoa, Liguria, Italy. The garden was established in 1803 ...

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q471966 montevidensis Plants described in 1827 Flora of New Brunswick Flora of Mexico Flora of South America Flora of the United States Flora of Canada Flora of Brazil Flora of Bolivia Flora of Tanzania Flora of Java Flora of Spain Flora of Ecuador Flora of Peru Flora of Argentina Flora of Chile Flora of Paraguay Flora of Coahuila Flora of Chihuahua (state) Flora of Sinaloa Flora without expected TNC conservation status