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- Sagittaria engelmanniana
Sagittaria engelmanniana — Engelmann's arrowhead
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Facts
Engelmann's arrowhead can be found in acid waters of marshes, coastal plain ponds and peatlands. It is named after George Engelmann (1809-1884), a German botanist and physician, who settled in Missouri and described hundreds of North American plants.
Habitat
Bogs, lacustrine (in lakes or ponds), marshes, shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped with backward-facing rounded lobes), or sagittate (arrow-shaped with backward-facing pointed lobes)
- the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade length
- 45–100 mm
- Flower petal color
- white
- Flower petal length
- 8–12 mm
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, usually 1-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
- Fruit length
- 2.4–4 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Axillary bulblets
- there are no bulblets being produced in axils
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached by its base to the filament
- Anther color
- the anthers show no hint of a pink, reddish or purplish tint
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
- Carpels fused
- the carpel is solitary or (if 2 or more) the carpels are not fused to one another
- Filament surface
- the filament surface has no hairs or scales on it
- Flower bract length
- 5–25 mm
- Flower bracts
- there are bracts associated with the flower
- Flower orientation
- the flowers point upward or spread or curve outward
- Flower petal color
- white
- Flower petal length
- 8–12 mm
- Flower shape
- the flower is flattened or platter-shaped
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Form of style
- the flower has two or more completely separate styles
- Fringed petal edges
- the petals are not fringed
- Hairs on flower stalk
- the flower stalk has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence hair glands
- the axis of the inflorescence has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence length
- 50–140 mm
- Inflorescence type
- the inflorescence is a raceme (a long unbranched stem with stalked flowers growing along it)
- Inflorescence width
- 20–40 mm
- Length of flower stalk
- 5–35 mm
- Length of peduncle
- 200–380 mm
- Marks on petals
-
- the petals have spots or streaks on them
- there are no noticeable marks on the petals
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- At least 3
- Number of pistils
- 6 or more
- Number of sepals and/or petals
- there are three petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal base
- the petal narrows gradually or does not narrow at the base
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
- there are no hairs on the inner/upper petal surface
- Petal nectaries
- the petals do not have nectaries
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals resemble leaves in color and texture
- Sepal length
- 4–7 mm
- Sepal orientation
- the sepals are curved outwards and downwards
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Spathe
- the plant does not have a spathe
- Spathe form
- NA
- Spathe length
- 0 mm
- Stamen number
- 13 or more
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamen types
- the stamens within a cycle are all similar
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
- Stamens fused outwards
- the stamens are not fused to the petals or tepals
- Style petal-like
- the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
- Tepals
- the petals and sepals are different in size and color
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule ridges
- NA
- Fruit beak length
- 0.7–2.1 mm
- Fruit compartments
- there is only one locule in the fruit
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is at least somewhat flattened
- Fruit length
- 2.4–4 mm
- Fruit stalk orientation
- the fruits point upward or spread or curve outward
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is an achene (dry, usually 1-seeded, does not separate or split open at maturity)
- Fruit width
- 1.5–3.8 mm
- Other markings on berry
- NA
-
Glands or sap
- Sap
- the sap is milky and opaque, and may be white or colored
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Root septa
- the roots have transverse septa
- Underground organs
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
-
Leaves
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade basal lobes
- the leaf blades are lobed at their bases
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- Leaf blade base shape
- The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes) or sagittate (arrow-shaped, with pointed, backward-facing lobes)
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf blade has no noticeable waxy or powdery bloom
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
- Leaf blade faces
- both surfaces of the leaf blade are exposed
- Leaf blade form
- Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
- Leaf blade length
- 45–100 mm
- Leaf blade orientation
- the upper surface of the leaf blade faces the stem of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped with backward-facing rounded lobes), or sagittate (arrow-shaped with backward-facing pointed lobes)
- the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- the tip of the leaf blade is rounded, with no point
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins are parallel or slightly arched in the direction of the tip
- Leaf blade width
- 2–20 mm
- Leaf stalk length
- 100–400 mm
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Stipule twining
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on this plant
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- aquatic
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- bogs
- in lakes or ponds
- marshes
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the leaves have no particular smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem is held upright
- Flowering stem leaves
- there are no true leaves on the flowering stem
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly or completely hairless
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
- Vermont
- historical (S-rank: SH)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Sagittaria latifolia:
- bracts of inflorescence thin and with margins connate 25% or more of their total length and achenes with 0 or 1 facial wing (vs. S. engelmanniana, with bracts of inflorescence thick and herbaceous, distinct or with margins connate less than 25% of their total length and achenes with 1–3 facial wings).
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
2. Sagittaria engelmanniana J.G. Sm. N
Engelmann’s arrowhead. CT, MA, RI, VT. Acid water of marshes, coastal plain ponds, and peatlands. The occurrence in VT (Lake Champlain) is unusual.