arum-leaved arrowhead (arumleaf arrowhead)
Alismataceae (Water-plantain family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial aquatic or semi-aquatic herb from a tuber-producing rhizome; stems 20-50 cm tall.
Leaves:
All basal, blades of the emergent leaves arrowhead-shaped, 1-12 cm long, long-stalked and sheathed at the base, blades of the submerged leaves lanceolate, or linear and essentially bladeless, up to 40 cm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence an open, bracteate panicle of stalked flowers, the bracts lanceolate, long-pointed at the tips, (5) 10-30 mm long; mature male flower stalks longer than the female flower stalks; petals white, 1-2 cm long; sepals 5-8 mm long.
Fruits:
Achenes, numerous in a globular cluster, winged, 2-2.5 mm long, the beaks erect, 0.2-0.4 mm long.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Ecology
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
629 | 343 | 835 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 2 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
200 | 200 | 200 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
7 | 6 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
12 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
SBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(2), ICH(1), IDF(3), PP(2), SBS(4) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Wet ditches, ponds and lakes in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in BC south of 55degreeN and E of the Coast-Cascade Mountains, less frequent westward and northward; N to AK, YT and NT, E to Labr., NB and NS and S to ME, NY, OH, IL, TX, NM, AZ and CA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Sagittaria arifolia Nutt. ex J.G. Sm.
Taxonomic Keys
1. Achenes with beaks extending at right angles to the body, the beaks 0.5-1.5 mm long; bracts of the inflorescences egg-shaped, rounded or hooded at the tips, 5-10 (15) mm long; mature male and female flower stalks of equal length.............Sagittaria latifolia
1. Achenes with beaks erect, the beaks 0.2-0.4 mm long; bracts of the inflorescences lanceolate, long-pointed at the tips, (5) 10-30 mm long; mature male flower stalks longer than the female flower stalks.................Sagittaria cuneata |