Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Alismatales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sagittaria platyphylla
FAMILY
Alismataceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Delta Arrowhead's flower stalk can grow up to 2' tall, with 3-8 whorls of flowers. Several whorls are branched, giving it a rather broad inflorescence. The fruiting pedicels strongly turn downward after flowering. Considered as a weed in some places, and certainly of uncertain provenance in most Atlantic Coast states. Learn more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
The distribution of this species is primarily in the Mississippi drainage; occurrences east of the Appalachians may be introduced, either by humans or by waterfowl, per Weakley's Flora (2023).
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sagittaria platyphylla
FAMILY
Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sagittaria platyphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 22 (2000)
Sagittaria platyphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Sagittaria platyphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 027-03-004c:
Sagittaria graminea var. platyphylla FAMILY Alismataceae
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sagittaria mohrii
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sagittaria platyphylla
COMMON NAME:
Delta Arrowhead
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_sapl_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_sapl_004_lvd
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Sagittaria platyphylla
FAMILY
Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Sagittaria platyphylla
FAMILY
Alismataceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Sagittaria platyphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 22
Sagittaria platyphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Sagittaria platyphylla
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 027-03-004c:
Sagittaria graminea var. platyphylla
FAMILY
Alismataceae
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sagittaria mohrii
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Sagittaria platyphylla
4586
Emergent aquatic that also has submerged leaves (rooted); Forb
Perennial
Monoecious or polygamo-monoecious
Habitat: marshes, ditches, farm ponds, pondcypress wetlands, canals, per Weakley's Flora
Native west of the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal
Blades of emersed leaves linear-ovate to ovate; submersed leaves phyllodial
Petioles of emersed leaves 21-70.5cm long, ±triangular
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
White
3-merous
3 sepals
3 petals
Numerous stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Inflorescence a raceme of 3-9 whorls
FRUIT:
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p321
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p389
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".