Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Alismatales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sagittaria australis
FAMILY
Alismataceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
This is one of a few arrowheads that has quite large and sagittate (arrowhead-shaped) leaf blades. The leaf shape is a bit more deeply cut at the base than is the common S. latifolia, but this can be variable. This species has a 5-angled leaf stalk, unlike others in the genus. Some of the most important characters in separating arrowheads lie in the seed (achene) shape; see references for these details. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sagittaria australis
FAMILY
Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sagittaria australis
INCLUDED WITHIN Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Sagittaria australis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 22 (2000)
Sagittaria australis
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Sagittaria australis
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 027-03-011:
Sagittaria longirostra FAMILY Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Sagittaria engelmanniana ssp. longirostra
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sagittaria australis
COMMON NAME:
Appalachian Arrowhead, Southern Arrowhead, Longbeak Arrowhead
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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Becky Dill gly_sagittaria_australis0
August Anson County NC
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
Inflorescence unbranched; bracts of the inflorescence papery, acuminate at the tip, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
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Becky Dill gly_sagittaria_australis1
August Anson County NC
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
)
Becky Dill gly_sagittaria_australis2
August Anson County NC
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
Leaves arrowhead-shaped with broad basal lobes, 4-10" long, smooth, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
COMPARE
Arrowhead, Arum, Elephant's Ear and Pickerelweed
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Becky Dill gly_sagittaria_australis3
August Anson County NC
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
Petiole sharply 5-wing-angled in cross-section, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
)
Becky Dill gly_sagittaria_australis4
August Anson County NC
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
)
Becky Dill gly_sagittaria_australis5
August Anson County NC
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
Flowers subtended by bracts that are longer than the pedicels (vs. shorter in S. latifolia), per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sagittaria australis
FAMILY
Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sagittaria australis
FAMILY
Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sagittaria australis
INCLUDED WITHIN
Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (Wunderlin & Hansen, 2011)
Sagittaria australis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 22
Sagittaria australis
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Sagittaria australis
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 027-03-011:
Sagittaria longirostra
FAMILY
Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Sagittaria engelmanniana ssp. longirostra
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sagittaria australis
3177
Emergent aquatic (rooted); Forb
Perennial
Monoecious or polygamo-monoecious
Habitat: marshes, swamps, rivershores, backwaters, margins of ponds and lakes, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (rare in Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal
Leaf blade sagittate
Petioles 19–85cm long, 5-winged
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White
3-merous
3 sepals
3 petals
Numerous stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p097
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p336
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p388
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p002
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