Envoy at 16:51, 1 October 2007

2007-10-01T16:51:48Z

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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Sagittaria latifolia
| image = Sagittaria latifolia.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Liliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Alismatales]]
| familia = [[Alismataceae]]
| genus = ''[[Sagittaria]]''
| species = '''''S. latifolia'''''
| binomial = ''Sagittaria latifolia''
| binomial_authority = [[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]]
}}

'''''Sagittaria latifolia''''' is a plant found in shallow [[wetland]]s and is sometimes known as '''broadleaf arrowhead''', 'duck potato', 'Indian potato', or 'wapato', . This plant produces [[edible]] [[tuber]]s that were extensively used by the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas]].

==Description==
Broadleaf arrowhead is a variable-sized (0.2 to 1 m) [[Perennial plant|perennial]] growing in colonies that can cover large amounts of ground. The [[root]]s are white and thin, producing white [[tuber]]s covered with a [[purple|purplish]] skin a good distance (0.3 to 1 m long, 0.15 to 0.6 meter deep) from the mother plant.

The plant has no [[Plant stem|stem]] to speak of, producing a [[Rosette (botany)|rosette]] of [[leaf|leaves]] and an [[inflorescence]] on a long rigid hamp. The leaves are extremely variable, from very thin at 1 to 2 cm to wedge shaped like those of ''[[Sagittaria cuneata]]''. Spongious and solid, the leaves have [[Parallel (geometry)|parallel]] [[Leaf#Venation_(arrangement_of_the_veins)|venation]] meeting in the middle and the extremities.

The inflorescence is a [[raceme]] composed of large flowers [[Leaf#Arrangement_on_the_stem|whorled]] by threes. Usually divided into female [[flower]]s on the lower part and male on the upper, although [[Plant sexuality|dioecious]] individuals are also found. Three round, white [[petal]]s and three very short curved, dark green [[sepal]]s. Male flowers are easily distinguished from female due to the dissimilarity between the 25 to 50 yellow [[stamen]]s of the male and the sphere of green [[carpel]]s of the female ones.

[[Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia|Shubenacadie]], a community located in central [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]], means "abounding in ground nuts" (i.e., broadleaf arrowhead) in the [[Micmac]] language.

==Distribution==
Widespread across [[North America]], but also found natively in [[Hawaii]], the [[Caribbean]] and the northern part of [[South America]], broadleaf arrowhead has been introduced in [[Europe]] and [[Australia]], where it is considered an [[invasive species|invasive]] [[weed]]. The plant is considered rare in [[Alberta]]. It can be found frequently in Fraser Valley region of [[British Columbia]].

==Ecology==
Extremely frequent as an [[emergent plant]], broadleaf arrowhead forms dense colonies on very wet [[soil]]s that become more open as the species mixes with other species of deeper water levels. These colonies forms long bands following the curves of [[river]]s, [[pond]]s and [[lake]]s, well marked by the dark green color of the leaves. The plant has strong roots and can survive through wide [[variation]]s of the water level, slow [[current (fluid)|current]]s and [[wave]]s. It displays an [[affinity]] for high levels of [[phosphate]]s and [[hard water]]s.

Despite the name Duck Potato, [[duck]]s rarely consume the tubers, which are usually buried too deep for them to reach, although they often consume the [[seed]]s. [[Beaver]]s, [[North American Porcupine]]s, and [[Muskrat]]s, however, eat the whole plant, tubers included.

==Cultivation==
Easily cultivated in 0.15 m to 0.45 m of water with no or little current. Plant tubers well spaced (no more than 12 plants per square meter) at the end of May at a depth of 5 to 7 cm. [[Fertilize]] with decomposed [[manure]]. Multiply through [[seeding]] or division in July.
The tubers of ''Sagittaria latifolia'' and ''[[Sagittaria cuneata]]'' have long been a important food source to [[indigenous peoples of the Americas]]s. The tubers can be detached from the ground in various ways: with the [[feet]], a [[pitchfork]], or a stick, and usually then float to the surface. Ripe tubers can be collected in the [[autumn|fall]] and are often found floating freely.

These tubers can be eaten [[cooking|raw]] or cooked for 15 to 20 minutes. The taste is similar to [[potato]]es and [[chestnut]]s, and they can be prepared in the same fashions: [[roasting]], [[frying]], [[boiling]], and so on. They can also be [[slice|sliced]] and [[Drying (food)|dried]] to prepare a [[flour]].

Other edible parts include late summer [[bud]]s and [[fruit]]s.

It is vulnerable to aphids and spider mites.

==References==
* {{cite book | author=[[Neltje Blanchan|Blanchan, Neltje]] | title=[[Wild Flowers Worth Knowing]] | year=[[2005]] | publisher=[[Project Gutenberg|Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation]]}}
*{{cite web | url = http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Sagittaria+latifolia | title = ''Sagittaria latifolia'' - Willd. Duck Potato | accessdate = 2007-07-20 | author = | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = | year = 2004 | month = June | format = | work = Edible and medicinal plant database | publisher = Plants For A Future | pages = | language = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | quote = Excellent when roasted, the texture is somewhat like potatoes with a taste like sweet chestnuts }}
*{{cite web | url = http://www.ipni.org/ipni/plantNameByVersion.do?id=58518-1&version=1.1.2.1&show_history=true&back_page=%2Fipni%2FeditSimplePlantNameSearch.do%3Ffind_wholeName%3DSagittaria%2Blatifolia%26output_format%3Dnormal | title = 58518-1 | accessdate = 2007-07-21 | date = 2004-07-14 | publisher = IPNI | quote = Alismataceae Sagittaria latifolia Willd. Sp. Pl. iv. 409. }}

==External links==

* [http://hdl.handle.net/1892/2442] Simon Fraser University Online MA Thesis about Wapato - Terrence Spurgeon 2001

[[Category:Root vegetables]]
[[Category:Alismatales]]
[[Category:Underutilized crops]]

Broadleaf arrowhead - Revision history

Envoy at 16:51, 1 October 2007