Plant Details

Sagittaria sagittifolia

Arrow Head, Hawaii arrowhead

Back

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

Use this plant

Log in to add this plant to your recipes.

Log in

Common names

42 names · 26 languages
EnglishYour language
  • Arrow Head
  • Arrowhead[1]
  • Giant Sag[1]
+3 more namesShow fewer names
  • Giant Sagittaria[1]
  • Hawaii arrowhead
  • Old World arrowhead[1]
Other languages (25)
Dutch
French
  • Flèche d'eau[1]
  • Sagittaire à feuilles en flèche[1]
Belarusian
  • Стрэлкаліст звычайны[1]
Chinese (Simplified)
+2 more namesShow fewer names
Chinese (Traditional)
  • 慈菇 / 茨菇[1]
  • 歐洲慈姑[1]
Czech
  • šípatka střelolistá[1]
  • šípatka vodní[1]
Danish
Estonian
  • jõgi-kõõlusleht[1]
Finnish
  • pystykeiholehti[1]
German
  • Gewöhnliches Pfeilkraut[1]
Hungarian
  • nyilaslevelű nyílfű[1]
Italian
  • Sagittaria comune[1]
Japanese
  • セイヨウオモダカ[1]
  • 西洋面高[1]
Kazakh
  • Кәдімгі жебежапырақ[1]
Korean
Lithuanian
  • Strėlialapė papliauška[1]
Norwegian
Polish
  • Strzałka wodna[1]
Portuguese
  • erva-frecha[1]
  • sagitária[1]
  • seta-de-água[1]
Russian
  • Стрелолист обыкновенный[1]
Slovak
  • šípovka vodná[1]
Swedish
Turkish
Ukrainian
  • Стрілиця звичайна[1]
Welsh
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 sagittifolia — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

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

Source records
  • Arrowhead — results[1].names[1]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Gewöhnliches Pfeilkraut — results[1].names[2]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Стрелолист обыкновенный — results[1].names[3]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • pystykeiholehti — results[1].names[4]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Sagittaria comune — results[1].names[5]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Flèche d'eau — results[1].names[6]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Sagittaire à feuilles en flèche — results[1].names[7]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 慈菇 / 茨菇 — results[1].names[8]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • šípatka vodní — results[1].names[9]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Pilblad — results[1].names[10]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • šípatka střelolistá — results[1].names[11]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • pilblad — results[1].names[12]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Pijlkruid — results[1].names[13]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Strzałka wodna — results[1].names[14]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Strėlialapė papliauška — results[1].names[15]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • jõgi-kõõlusleht — results[1].names[16]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • セイヨウオモダカ — results[1].names[17]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • pilblad — results[1].names[18]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 소귀나물 — results[1].names[19]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 벗풀 — results[1].names[20]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 欧洲慈姑 — results[1].names[21]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 歐洲慈姑 — results[1].names[22]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Giant Sagittaria — results[1].names[23]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Giant Sag — results[1].names[24]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • erva-frecha — results[1].names[25]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • seta-de-água — results[1].names[26]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • sagitária — results[1].names[27]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Стрілиця звичайна — results[1].names[28]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Стрэлкаліст звычайны — results[1].names[29]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • nyilaslevelű nyílfű — results[1].names[30]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Old World arrowhead — results[1].names[31]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 茨菰 — results[1].names[32]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 慈菇 — results[1].names[33]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 西洋面高 — results[1].names[34]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Кәдімгі жебежапырақ — results[1].names[35]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Saethlys — results[1].names[36]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • šípovka vodná — results[1].names[37]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 茨菇 — results[1].names[38]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • 慈姑 — results[1].names[39]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.
  • Su Ok Otu — results[1].names[40]; taxon id 69814; Sagittaria sagittifolia.

General information

Scientific name: Sagittaria sagittifolia
Accepted name (Kew): Sagittaria sagittifolia L. 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: Arrow Head, Hawaii arrowhead
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Aquatic
Catalogue size class: Small
Height: 1.00 m
Spread: 0.50 m
Growth rate: None
Foliage: None

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 6-9
Soil moisture:
Wet
Soil:
Sand (light) Loam (medium) Clay (heavy)
pH:
Acidic Neutral Alkaline
Light:
Full sun

Uses

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

Description

Cooked carrots from this plant have an excellent flavor, similar to that of potatoes when roasted. The tubers are rich in starch and have a pronounced taste. It's important not to eat the tubers raw, as the skin is bitter. After cooking, it is advisable to remove the skin. The dried and ground tubers can be used as powder in dishes such as porridge or added to flour for making bread. The tubers, which are actually the roots of the plant, grow at the ends of thin roots that often lie about 30 cm deep in the ground and at some distance from the mother plant. The tubers of wild plants typically have a diameter of about 15 cm and are best harvested in late summer when the leaves start to wither. The leaves and young stems can also be cooked, although they have a somewhat sharp flavor.

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 279920; name ID 287474; Sagittaria sagittifolia L..

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

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

    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 1169267, ID 4TYS8: Sagittaria sagittifolia L. (accepted).

    Source checked on .