Sagittaria sagittifolia L., Alismataceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: arrowhead, Chinese arrowhead, Old World arrowhead, swamp-potato, swan-potato

French: flèche d'eau, sagittaire à feuilles en flèche

Japanese: kuwai

Spanish: cola de golondrina, flecha de agua, saeta de agua

Habit:  herb

Description:  Perennial rhizomatous herbs; stems erect.  Juvenile leaves submerged, linear, 10-250 cm long, 0.3-3 cm wide; following leaves floating; adult leaves mostly aerial with a blade very variable in size and form, from ovate to sagittate; petiole up to 60 cm long. Inflorescence a simple raceme with several few-flowered whorls of flowers.  Bracts lanceolate, 0.3-1.5 cm long.  Flowers actinomorphic, pedicels of female flowers 0.5-1.5 cm long, longer and thinner on male flowers.  Perianth composed of 6 segments in two whorls.  Sepals 3, free, green, 4-7 mm long; petals 3, free, 10-15 mm long, white with or without a purple spot; filaments 1-2 mm long, glabrous, linear; anthers purple.  Fruit a globose aggregate, 1-2 cm wide; fruitlets 4-6 mm long, with a short apical beak  (Hafliger, 1982; p. 85).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "rooting in mud near sea level and also up to 100 m elevation, in swamps, marshes, and along rivers in deltas, where it is in standing water at high tide and uncovered at low tide" (Smith, 1979; p. 124).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Temperate Europe and Asia. Subsp. leucopetala (Miq.) Hartog is found in southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (p. 124) Subsp. leucopetala (Miq.) Hartog; vouchers cited: DA 3993, Vaughan 3151, Tothill (coll. MacDaniels) 197, MacDaniels 1020, DA 16635
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Hiva Oa Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Huahine Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 302) Voucher cited: D. Bare 70
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 302) Vouchers cited: Moore 459, BRY 26648
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 302) Voucher cited: Grant 4534
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009) Subsp. leucopetala (Miq.) Hartog

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 317)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009) Subsp. leucopetala (Miq.) Hartog
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009) Also subsp. leucopetala (Miq.) Hartog
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009) Subsp. leucopetala (Miq.) Hartog
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 317)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2009) Subsp. leucopetala (Miq.) Hartog

Additional information:
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.

Additional online information about Sagittaria sagittifolia is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Sagittaria sagittifolia as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Sagittaria sagittifolia may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Hafliger, E. 1092. Monocot Weeds 3. CIBA-GEIGY Ltd., Basle, Switzerland. 132 pp. plus plates.

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

Smith, Albert C. 1979. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 1. 494 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.