Habit: Annual, perennial herb; roots septate; generally monoecious; scape generally straight at inflorescence.
Leaf: petiole cylindric to 3-angled; submersed blades tapered to base; floating or emergent blades generally sagittate (linear to ovate).
Inflorescence: lowest node generally with 3 pistillate flowers, those above generally staminate.
Flower: sepals 3--10 mm, reflexed to appressed in fruit; petals generally entire.
Staminate Flower: stamens 7--30.
Pistillate Flower: receptacle convex; pistils many, spiralled on convex receptacle.
Fruit: body generally 2--3.5 mm, strongly compressed, abaxially winged or ridged; beak generally lateral, spreading to erect.
Species In Genus: +- 30 species: worldwide, especially America.
Etymology: (Latin: arrow, from leaf shape)
Note: Some species weedy; tubers of some eaten by humans, wildlife;
Sagittaria brevirostra Mack. & Bush reportedly persisting at Stafford Lake and Chileno Laguna, Marin Co.
Jepson eFlora Author: Charles E. Turner, Robert R. Haynes & C. Barre Hellquist
Unabridged Reference: Bogin 1955 Mem New York Bot Gard 9:179--233Index of California Plant Names (ICPN; linked via the Jepson Online Interchange)Key to Sagittaria
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