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Sagittaria cuneata

Common name:	Wapato	Family:	Alismataceae
Author:	Sheldon.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:	Sagittaria arifolia (Nutt. ex J.G. Sm..)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	N. America - Nova Scotia to British Columbia, south to Connecticut, Kansas, and California.
Habitat:	Calcareous or muddy shores and shallow water[43].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arum-leaf Arrowhead [B], Arumleaf Arrowhead [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cuneata = wedge shaped
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Alismatales. Water-plantain family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m. It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Root.

Root - raw or cooked[257]. Slightly bitter raw[212], the roasted tubers are sweet-tasting[159, 161]. Those tubers found at the end of the rootstock are the best[159]. When broken off from the roots the tubers rise to the water surface and are then easily gathered[212].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Stomachic.

The plant has been used to treat headaches[257].
The corms have been eaten as a treatment for indigestion[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

A pond or bog garden plant, it requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position[1, 200]. Succeeds in shallow, still or slowly flowing water.
Plants are usually monoecious but dioecious forms are sometimes found[43].
A very polymorphic species[43]. In mud or shallow water the leaves are broad, but in deep water the plant only produces long slender leafstalks[212].
This plant has potential for commercial cultivation as a root crop[212].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a pot standing in about 5cm of water. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and gradually increase the depth of water as the plants grow until it is about 5cm above the top of the pot. Plant out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Division of the tubers in spring or autumn. Easy.
Runners potted up at any time in the growing season.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Alternative Root Crops.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Alismataceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
A nice pocket guide to this region of America.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[212] Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963 ISBN 63-7093
Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Sagittaria+cuneata
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