''Sagittaria graminea'', the grassy arrowhead or grass-leaved arrowhead, is an

aquatic plant Aquatic plants, also referred to as hydrophytes, are vascular plants and Non-vascular plant, non-vascular plants that have adapted to live in aquatic ecosystem, aquatic environments (marine ecosystem, saltwater or freshwater ecosystem, freshwater ...

species native to eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Description

It is a perennial herb up to tall with narrow, grass-like

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

about in length and wide. A very thin flower-bearing stalk raises to about above water. The flowers are about wide, with three petals and three sepals; typically the upper flowers only have stamens (male), while lower flowers have only pistils (female). The seeds appear in a head about 1.5 cm wide.

Subspecies

A long list of varietal and subspecific names have been proposed over the years. Most have either been elevated to the species level or relegated to synonymy. As of April 2014, only two are recognized: *''Sagittaria graminea'' subsp. ''graminea'' *''Sagittaria graminea'' subsp. ''weatherbiana'' (Fernald) R.R.Haynes & Hellq.

Distribution and habitat

The species is known from every

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

province from

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

, and every US state from the

Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...

to the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, plus

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. It is considered naturalized in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

and in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. It grows in wet areas such as marshes and the banks of rivers and lakes.

References

External links

*
Missouri Botanical Garden, Plant Finder, Gardening Help, ''Sagittaria graminea''Plants for a FutureLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of TexasCenter for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, University of Florida IFAS
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15601416 graminea Flora of Cuba Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of New Mexico Flora of the Eastern United States Flora of the United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status Freshwater plants Plants described in 1803 Taxa named by André Michaux