The Bulltongue Arrowhead is a vigorous, aquatic, herbaceous perennial in the water plantain family and noted for the basal leaves that rise 3 to 6 feet from watery beds, its 10 inch long arrowhead-shaped leave blades, and showy, 3-petaled white flowers. It is a wetlands plant, common in fresh or brackish tidal marshes and muddy stream edges. Native to sloughs, swamps, marshes and margins of streams and ponds of southeastern United States, it grows well in the North Carolina's coastal plain. The genus name comes from the Latin sagitta, meaning arrow referencing the shape of the leaves. Bulltongue Arrowhead grows in water and does best in full sun, which encourages blossoms. Members of the Water-Plantain Family grow in water, in swamps, on muddy banks, or occasionally in wet sand. It is a reliable perennial used for water gardens and should be planted no deeper than 12 inches in a water garden. Large, edible, starchy tubers form at the ends of underground plant runners (rhizomes). When dislodged from the mud, these tubers will float to the surface. The tubers can be boiled or baked and eaten as a potato-like food. Seeds are attractive to many water birds. Use as a water feature in sun to partial shade. It attracts birds. Arrowhead is commonly used in pond restorations. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on creating a "floating wetland" with aquatic plants Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known insect or disease problems. Watch for spider mites and aphids.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Frequent Standing Water | Moist
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Other/more complex
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Linear; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Dark green, arrow shaped leaves rise from water. The leaf stalk is about 17 inches long, the leaf blade is linear to ovate or elliptic and about 6 inches long.
Flower color
Pink; White
Flower value
Long Bloom Season; Showy
Flower form
Panicle; Raceme
Flower shape
Radial; Saucer
Flower size
1-3 inches
Flower detail
Flowers are showy and white, with 3 petals and yellow centers. Blossoms from June through October. Racemes or panicles of 6 to 13 whorls rise up to 2 feet from water. Flowers are more than an inch in diameter with sepals recurved to spreading, but not enclosing flower or fruiting head. The flowers have 3 green sepals, 3 white or pink-tinged petals, 6 or more stamens, and several pistils. Stamens and pistils may be in separate flowers.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Fruiting heads less than an inch in diameter. Achenes are beaked with no wings.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America.
Distribution
United States from Virginia to Florida and west to Texas.