Bunched Arrowhead
Sagittaria fasciculata
An endangered wetland rarity of the Carolinas, its lance-shaped leaves rising from seepage slopes that are themselves vanishing.
Bunched Arrowhead breaks from the typical arrowhead mold: unlike its relatives, its leaves are lance-shaped rather than broadly arrow-pointed, a distinction that separates it from every other member of the genus. It grows to about fifteen inches in clean, slow-flowing water on gently sloped seepage slopes and in the understory of deciduous forests. White three-petaled flowers appear from mid-May through July.
This plant exists in only a handful of isolated pockets in Henderson County, North Carolina, and Greenville County, South Carolina, making it one of the most geographically restricted aquatic plants in the eastern United States. Its seepage habitat is acutely threatened by residential development, conversion to pasture, and invasive species. If encountered in the wild, the plant should be left completely undisturbed. It is not available in the garden trade and is listed as endangered.
Bunched Arrowhead
Sagittaria fasciculata
Duck Potato, Indian Potato