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Sagittaria graminea - Michx.

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Author	Michx.	Botanical references	200, 204, 270
Family	Alismataceae	Genus	Sagittaria
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Ontario, south to Texas and Florida.
Habitat	Shallow water and muddy or sandy shores[204]. Streams, lakes, and tidal areas from sea level to 700 metres[270].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Perennial growing to 0.5m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats

Pond; Bog Garden;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Root - cooked. Contains 4 - 7% protein[183]. Young shoots - cooked[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

A pond or bog garden plant, it requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position[1, 200]. Prefers shallow, still or slowly flowing water up to 30 - 60cm deep. The edible roots are commonly found in Chinese markets[183]. There is some confusion over this name. The report that this plant is edible gives the name as S. sinensis and its range as Asia. However, the RHS Dictionary of Gardening says that S. sinensis is a synonym of S. graminea and that its range is Eastern N. America[200], whilst other reports say that it is a synonym of S. sagittifolia or S. trifolia[266]. The Flora of N. America says that S. graminea does not produce corms but has coarse rhizomes[270], which suggests that the report of edibility does not really belong here[K].

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.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Alternative Root Crops.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[204] Livingstone. B. Flora of Canada National Museums of Canada 1978 ISBN 0-660-00025-3
In 4 volumes, it does not deal with plant uses but gives descriptions and habitats.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

[270] Flora of N. America 0
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

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