Sagittaria sagittifolia
Notifiable Organism, Unwanted Organism, National Pest Plant Accord
Arrowhead
- Scientific Name
- Sagittaria sagittifolia
- Origin
- Native to Asia and Europe
- Type
- Weed
- Plant Life-form Type
- Marginal erect/tall
- Taxonomy
- L.
- Presence
- Locally naturalised, first record from Coromandel Peninsula in 2002.
- Habitat
- Still and slow flowing water bodies and wetlands.
- Temperature (°C)
- Dec-24
- pH range
- 7.2 - 8.0
- Hardness (ppm)
- 100 - 150
- Notes
- A potentially important irrigation weed; poor dispersal capacity has limited current spread. This species has been included in this survey only to demonstrate a use most Sagittarias have in SE Asia. The rootstock or corm of many Sagittaria species & particularly S. sagittifolia is farmed as an edible vegetable somewhat like taro. I have also used its emerged leaf form to illustrate the extremes in shape.
- Propagation
- Apparently by deliberate planting and subsequent spread by water movement. Possibly cultivated as a vegetable by some ethnic groups
- Features
- Tall summer-green perennial dying back to underground parts over winter. Emergent leaves have a distinctive glossy arrow-shape with long basal lobes. Petioles are triangular in cross-section. Rhizomatous with round tubers, up to 3 cm across, produced on these. No flowers seen on New Zealand material.
- Source
- TIFBIS
- Regional
- Regional Pest Management Strategy: AUK, WKO, WGN.