Sagittaria cuneata
Sheldon.
Alismataceae
The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.
Common Name: Wapato
General Information
Sagittaria cuneata is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.80 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
43- Title
- Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fernald. M. L.
- Publisher
- American Book Co.; New York
- Year
- 1950
- ISBN
- 0442222505
- Description
- A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
270- Title
- Flora of N. America
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
Range
N. America - Nova Scotia to British Columbia, south to Connecticut, Kansas, and California.
Habitat
Calcareous or muddy shores and shallow waters of rivers, lakes, ponds, pastures, and ditches, occasional in tidal waters, or in deep flowing water with slow current; 100 - 2500 metres[
43- Title
- Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fernald. M. L.
- Publisher
- American Book Co.; New York
- Year
- 1950
- ISBN
- 0442222505
- Description
- A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
,
270- Title
- Flora of N. America
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 0.80 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A pond or bog garden plant, it requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Succeeds in shallow, still or slowly flowing water.
Plants are usually monoecious but dioecious forms are sometimes found[
43- Title
- Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fernald. M. L.
- Publisher
- American Book Co.; New York
- Year
- 1950
- ISBN
- 0442222505
- Description
- A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
].
A very polymorphic species[
43- Title
- Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
- Publication
-
- Author
- Fernald. M. L.
- Publisher
- American Book Co.; New York
- Year
- 1950
- ISBN
- 0442222505
- Description
- A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
]. In mud or shallow water the leaves are broad, but in deep water the plant only produces long slender leafstalks[
212- Title
- A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
- Publication
-
- Author
- Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R.
- Publisher
- The Riverside Press
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- 63-7093
- Description
- Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.
].
This plant has potential for commercial cultivation as a root crop[
212- Title
- A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
- Publication
-
- Author
- Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R.
- Publisher
- The Riverside Press
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- 63-7093
- Description
- Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.
].
Edible Uses
Root - raw or cooked[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. Slightly bitter raw[
212- Title
- A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
- Publication
-
- Author
- Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R.
- Publisher
- The Riverside Press
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- 63-7093
- Description
- Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.
], the roasted tubers are sweet-tasting[
159- Title
- Wild Food Plants of Indiana.
- Publication
-
- Author
- McPherson. A. and S.
- Publisher
- Indiana University Press
- Year
- 1977
- ISBN
- 0-253-28925-4
- Description
- A nice pocket guide to this region of America.
,
161- Title
- Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Yanovsky. E.
- Publisher
- U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
- Year
-
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
]. Those tubers found at the end of the rootstock are the best[
159- Title
- Wild Food Plants of Indiana.
- Publication
-
- Author
- McPherson. A. and S.
- Publisher
- Indiana University Press
- Year
- 1977
- ISBN
- 0-253-28925-4
- Description
- A nice pocket guide to this region of America.
]. When broken off from the roots the tubers rise to the water surface and are then easily gathered[
212- Title
- A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers
- Publication
-
- Author
- Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R.
- Publisher
- The Riverside Press
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- 63-7093
- Description
- Excellent little pocket guide to the area, covering 590 species and often giving details of their uses.
].
Medicinal
The plant has been used to treat headaches[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
The corms have been eaten as a treatment for indigestion[
257- Title
- Native American Ethnobotany
- Publication
-
- Author
- Moerman. D.
- Publisher
- Timber Press. Oregon.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-88192-453-9
- Description
- Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a pot standing in about 5cm of water. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and gradually increase the depth of water as the plants grow until it is about 5cm above the top of the pot. Plant out in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Division of the tubers in spring or autumn. Easy.
Runners potted up at any time in the growing season.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
