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Native Plant Society of Texas

Delta Arrowhead

Sagittaria platyphylla

Other common name(s):

Family:

Alismataceae (Water Plantain Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

This map uses data from the US EPA. EPA  servers have been offline frequently so maps may not display. We are working on a solution.

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift
Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Herbaceous, Wetland

Height

1
to
3
ft.

Spread

1
to
3
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Moist, Mud, Sand, Wet

Light Requirement

Part Shade

Water Requirement

High

Native Habitat

Riparian, Wetland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Flowers, Forage, Seeds

Wildlife Benefit

Aquatic Wildlife, Birds, Browsers, Small Mammals

Maintenance

It prefers slow moving, shallow water. Spreads easily so give lots of space, or thin as needed for the garden areas. May go dormant in dry conditions, but reappears as wet conditions return. Set up a pond or a water collection tank near a downspout to supplement water. Native habitat: ponds, swamps, on muddy banks, or occasionally in wet sand.

Description

Blooms June-November. Each plant has long-stemmed leaves, growing from underground tubers, with a flowering stem rising above them. The flowers have 3 white or pink-tinged petals, clustered in 3-9 whorls up the stem. Male and female flowers are on the same plant, male flowers in the upper whorls, female flowers in the lower whorls. Submerged leaves have flattened petioles but no true blades. Emergent leaves have ovate to elliptical blades with rounded base and pointed tip. Fruiting heads consist of numerous seeds called achenes. The beaks of the seeds give the head a rough texture.
Previous Scientific Name(s): Sagittaria graminea var. platyphylla, Sagittaria mohrii

References

Learn about how to propagate Texas native plants.

Material Treatment Method Collection References
Clump Division Plant immediately in the soil. Spreads by runners. Allow the new plant to develop a root system and leaves before separating it from the mother plant with very sharp, sterilized scissors. 1) https://www.npsot.org/wp-admin/post.php?post=15966&action=edit 2) https://en.aqua-fish.net/plants/sagittaria-platyphylla

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason