Wapato
Sagittaria latifolia
Arrowhead / duck potato. Aquatic plant with sagittate leaves; starchy tubers were a widespread Indigenous food. Wetland identification and clean water matter.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
Also called: arrowhead, duck potato
What it is
Arrowhead / duck potato. Aquatic plant with sagittate leaves; starchy tubers were a widespread Indigenous food. Wetland identification and clean water matter.
Edible portions
- tubers, cooked
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 3–10 wetlands
- Light. Full sun, shallow water
- Soil. Muck
- Planting. A pond edge native. Can spread.
- Harvest. Tubers in mud in the dormant season — messy, traditional work.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Boiled/roasted tubers
Safety
- Clean water. Identify leaves (arrow-shaped) vs other aquatics.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.