Sagittaria lancifolia

Duck potato

Native to Florida

Species Overview

Species Characteristics

Sagittaria lancifolia is another showy Sagittaria species that is native to Florida. Duck potato is the largest of the arrowheads. Its large leaves and conspicuous flowers make it easy to find in the wild. Duck potato very commonly grows in swamps, ditches, lake and stream margins, and other shallow-water habitats throughout Florida. Duck potato gets its name from the potato-like corms that sometimes form. Corms are bulbous stem parts that grow underground. Duck potato is easily recognized by its large, firm, lance-shaped leaves, which are typically 4 inches wide and up to 2 feet long. The leaf bases taper to the stem. The leaves grow as a fan-like rosette of underground rhizomes. Duck potato flowers are showy and white, with 3 petals. Flowers extend on thick stalks that are often a foot or more above the leaves. The fruiting heads contain many small hooked seeds. Duck potato has large, lance-shaped leaves, it has large, showy, white flowers and its flowers are on stalks that are taller than the leaves.

Impacts