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Bulltongue Arrowhead

Sagittaria lancifolia (saj-ee-TAR-ee-uh lan-sih-FOH-lee-uh MEED-ee-uh)

Family: Alismataceae Native Herbaceous

Lance-leaved Arrowood is a native perennial typically found in marshes and swamps along the coast from Virginia south to Florida and west to Texas. It grows in both freshwater and brackish tidal marshes. The roots are rhizomes and need to be submerged in water. The long lance-shaped leaves and distinctive 3-petaled flowers make this an attractive plant for water gardens. It should not be allowed to dry out.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 51 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

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.

Fills a similar niche Asclepias incarnata subsp. pulchra Sagittaria latifolia Saururus cernuus

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Water Plant
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
Light
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
Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Lanceolate; Obovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Up to 3 feet long green leaves. Apex acuminate, base cuneate, venation parallel, glabrous
Flower color
White
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Separate male and female flowers. They grow in whorls of 3 in racemes and have 3 green sepals and 3 white petals, 1/4-1/2 inch long. The pistils on female flowers are flattened and form a tight, round green center. Male flowers have 6 yellow stamens.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The fruit is small oval achenes and winged from August to November.
Stem detail
Long thick spongy petioles
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
SE USA
Distribution
AL, DE, FL, GA, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TX, VA
Wildlife value
Deer resistant. Waterfowl eat the tubers
Attracts
Bees; Pollinators; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Achene

Edibility

Rhizomes are edible

Uses (ethnobotany)

Tubers were eaten by Native Americans

Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Water Garden
Design feature
Mass Planting
Garden tags
#swamps #marshes #Coastal OBL #food source nectar #food source pollen #food source summer #Piedmont Mountains OBL #food source fall #water garden #bird friendly #food source herbage #stream banks #Audubon #food source hard mast fruit #tuberous #NC native #NC Native Pollinator Plant #pond
Problems & Resistance
Resistant to
Wet Soil
Propagation
Root Cutting; Seed

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.