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Bulltongue Arrowhead

Sagittaria lancifolia

Other common name(s):

Bull-tongue Arrowhead, Lanceleaf Arrowhead, Duck-potato

Family:

Alismataceae (Water Plantain Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Wetland

Height

3
to
6
ft.

Spread

2
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Moist, Mud

Light Requirement

Sun

Water Requirement

High

Native Habitat

Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Pink

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Forage, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Browsers, Birds, Small Mammals, Aquatic Wildlife

Maintenance

Long-blooming.. Members of the Water-Plantain Family grow in water, in swamps, on muddy banks, or occasionally in wet sand. Good for water gardens. They should be planted no deeper that 12″ in a water garden in a full sun location. They spread easily by rhizomes and may be thinned if you have limited space. Set up a pond or a water collection tank near a downspout to supplement water.

Comments

Blooms June-November. This perennial arises from tuber-producing rhizomes. Arrowhead shaped leaf blades arise from the base. Submerged leaves are lance-shaped or even bladeless. The 3 petaled white flowers appear in late spring and summer. Attracts: tubers eaten by ducks, geese, muskrats, and nutria. Seeds are sometimes consumed by ducks. Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food for many aquatic invertebrates.

References

1) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SALA, 2) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=38923#null, 3) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=334&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 4) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Sagittaria+lancifolia&formsubmit=Search+Terms, 5) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants, Landscaping Region by Region, pg 381.1991, 6) https://npn.rngr.net/renderNPNProtocolDetails?selectedProtocolIds=alismataceae-sagittaria-469&referer=wildflower, 7) https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/arrowhead/bull-tongue-arrowhead/

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Contact a local Chapter

State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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