Plant Details

Sagittaria latifolia

Duck Potato, Broadleaf Arrowhead

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Explore the size, hardiness, soil, light, edible uses and harvest period of Sagittaria latifolia.

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Common names

30 names · 24 languages
EnglishYour language
  • broad-leaved arrowhead[1]
  • Broadleaf Arrowhead[1]
  • common arrowhead[1]
+3 more namesShow fewer names
  • Duck Potato
  • duck-potato[1]
  • wapato[1]
Other languages (23)
Dutch
  • Breed pijlkruid[1]
  • Breedbladig Pijlkruid
French
  • Sagittaire à larges feuilles[1]
Chinese (Simplified)
  • 弯喙慈姑[1]
Chinese (Traditional)
  • 彎喙慈姑[1]
Czech
  • šípatka širolistá[1]
Downriver Halkomelem
  • x̌ʷc̓əq̓ʷə́wl̓s[1]
Finnish
  • amerikankeiholehti[1]
German
  • Breitblättriges Pfeilkraut[1]
Hungarian
  • széleslevelű nyílfű[1]
Island Halkomelem
Italian
  • Sagittaria americana[1]
Ojibwe
  • Wapato, Waabiziipin,Ajijaakokaad[1]
Polish
  • strzałka szerokolistna[1]
Portuguese
  • Batata-de-índio[1]
Russian
  • Стрелолист широколистный[1]
Secwepemc
  • skwenkwínem[1]
Slovak
  • šípovka širokolistá[1]
Slovenian
  • širokolistna streluša[1]
Spanish
Squamish
Swedish
  • bredpilblad[1]
Ukrainian
  • Стрілолист широколистий[1]
Upriver Halkomelem
Sources & name notes (1)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Sagittaria latifolia — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • broadleaf arrowhead — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • wapato — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • duck-potato — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Bayoneta — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • common arrowhead — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • broad-leaved arrowhead — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Sagittaria americana — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Sagittaire à larges feuilles — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Batata-de-índio — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • šípatka širolistá — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Breed pijlkruid — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Breitblättriges Pfeilkraut — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Стрелолист широколистный — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • 弯喙慈姑 — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • 彎喙慈姑 — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • bredpilblad — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Wapato, Waabiziipin,Ajijaakokaad — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • strzałka szerokolistna — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • széleslevelű nyílfű — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • amerikankeiholehti — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • širokolistna streluša — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • šípovka širokolistá — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • wápatu — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • x̌ʷc̓əq̓ʷə́wl̓s — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • sqewth — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • sqewth — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • skwenkwínem — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.
  • Стрілолист широколистий — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 48070; Sagittaria latifolia.

General information

Scientific name: Sagittaria latifolia
Accepted name (Kew): Sagittaria latifolia Willd. View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1] [2]
Botanical family: Alismataceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Sagittaria (WCVP v16).

Sources [1]
Also known as: Duck Potato, Broadleaf Arrowhead
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Aquatic
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 0.61–0.81 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [3]
Spread: 0.61–0.81 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [3]
Growth rate: None
Foliage: Deciduous
Sources [3]
Growth habit: Erect

Whole-plant habit and form as described by NC State.

Sources [3]
Life cycle: Perennial
Sources [3]

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b

USDA zones listed by NC State; winter survival does not establish reliable cropping.

Sources [3]
Soil moisture:
Frequent Standing Water, Moist, Occasionally Wet

Moisture and drainage conditions listed by NC State.

Sources [3]
Soil:
Loam (Silt), Sand
Sources [3]
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Full sun, Partial Shade
Sources [3]

Uses

Edible parts:
Root
Edibility rating:
(5)
Medicinal rating:
(1)
Functions:
None

Description

The root can be eaten both raw and cooked. When roasted, it takes on a texture similar to that of potatoes and a flavor reminiscent of chestnuts. The tubers are edible when raw, but the skin can be quite bitter. It is best to peel the skin after the tubers have been cooked. Additionally, the tubers can be dried and ground into a powder, which can be used as porridge or mixed with grain flour to make bread. Native Americans in North America sliced the cooked roots into thin pieces and dried them in the same way as apples, by threading them onto strings. The egg-shaped tubers are 4-5 cm long and grow at the end of slender roots, usually about 30 cm deep in the ground and a short distance from the parent plant. The tubers are best harvested in late summer when the leaves are dying back.

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/09
Harvest ends: 31/10

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1165563; name ID 287722; Sagittaria Ruppius ex L.. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 1164746; name ID 287247; Sagittaria latifolia Willd..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  2. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Sagittaria latifolia

    Taxonomic data from WCVP, version 16.0, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. This shares the Kew WCVP evidence base cited on this page.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 1169221, ID 4TYQL: Sagittaria latifolia Willd. (accepted).

    Source checked on .

  3. NC State Extension, North Carolina State University Sagittaria latifolia — Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
    Supports: HeightSpreadFoliageGrowth habitLife cycleLightSoil moistureSoil textureUSDA hardiness
    Relevant sections
    • Height: Dimensions > Height; Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 8 in.
    • Spread: Dimensions > Width; Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 8 in.
    • Foliage: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
    • Growth habit: Habit/Form
    • Life cycle: Life Cycle
    • Light: Light
    • Soil moisture: Soil Drainage
    • Soil texture: Soil Texture
    • USDA hardiness: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

    Source checked on .