Sagittaria cuneata E.Sheld.
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Authority
Bogin, Clifford. 1955. Revision of the genus Sagittaria (Alismataceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 9 (2): 179-233.
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Family
Alismataceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Perennial with runners and corms. Leaves emersed, floating, or submerged. Emersed leaves sagittate, with lanceolate to ovate deltoid blades 2.5-17 x 1.5-11 cm, the deltoid basal lobes 0.7-11 x 0.7-6 cm, the floating leaves commonly cordate, rarely linear to ovate, the submerged leaves modified into ribbon-shaped phyllodia to 45 cm long, the petioles 5-70 cm long. Scape 10-50 cm or more long, with 2-8 whorls of flowers, occasionally branching at the lowest whorl. Bracts more or less membranous, joined at the base, (0.4-)0.7-3.5 cm long, lanceattenuate or acute. Pistillate pedicels ascending, 0.5-2 cm long, the staminate somewhat longer. Sepals reflexed, 0.4-0.8 cm long. Petals white, ca. 1.5 times as long as the sepals. Stamens 15-24, the glabrous subulate filaments 0.8-2 mm long, about equaling the oblong anthers. Mature receptacle 0.8-1.5 cm in diameter; achenes obovate, 1.8-2.6 x 1.3-2 mm, the prominent rounded dorsal wing to 0.8 mm wide, exceeding the strongly rounded ventral wing, the faces plain, or with a low slender rib, the apical subulate erect beak 0.1-0.4 mm long.
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Discussion
Sagittaria sagittifolia var. minor Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 2: 395. 1814.
Sagittaria variabilis var. hastata Macoun, Cat. Canad. PI. 4: 77, p.p. 1888.
Sagittaria arifolia Nutt. ex J.G.Sm. Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 6: 6. 1894.
Sagittaria arifolia var. stricta J.G.Sm. Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 6: 8. 1894.
Sagittaria arifolia var. aquatilis J.G.Sm. Missouri Bot. Gard. Rep. 9: 156. 1898.
Sagittaria hebetiloba A. Nels. Bull. Torrey Club 26: 6. 1899.
Sagittaria paniculata Blankin. Mont. Coll. Sci. Stud. Bot. 1: 40. 1905.
Sagittaria arifolia var. tenuor Blankin. Mont. Agr. Coll. Sci. Stud. Bot. 1: 40. 1905.
Sagittaria arifolia var. cuneata (Sheld.) Lunell, Bull. Leeds Herb. 1: 3. 1907.
Sagittaria arifolia var. dimorpha Lunell, Bull. Leeds Herb. 1: 3. 1907.
Sagittaria arifolia var. monomorpba Lunell, Bull. Leeds Herb. 1: 3. 1907.
Sagittaria arifolia var. polymorpha Lunell, Bull. Leeds Herb. 1: 3. 1907.
Sagittaria hitchcockii Gandoger, Bull, Soc. Bot. Fr. 66: 294. 1919.
Sagittaria suksdorfii Gandoger, Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. 66: 294. 1919.
Type collection: Aug. 1892, Sheldon s.n., East Battle Lake, Ottertail Co., Minnesota (holotype Minn.; isotypes GH, MO, NY, UC, US).
Sagittaria cuneata is extremely plastic vegetatively but relatively constant florally. It is immediately recognized in maturity by the unique round-winged achenes with short, erect beaks. It is the only temperate New World species with cordate floating leaves.
Its closest relationships are with S. latifolia and S. engelmanniana in the New World and S. sagittifolia in the Old World. Until relatively recent times S. cuneata probably formed a circumboreal species with the latter. Indeed there still may be some justification for considering it a subspecies of S. sagittifolia. The key differences between the two are quite well defined and show no variation within their correlated geographic ranges. No intermediates have been seen or reported; however, the two plants react similarly to edaphic surroundings and remarkably similar vegetative responses have been seen in both. The achenes of each are very much alike, differing mainly in size (being generally larger in the Old World), but the bracts are markedly different in the two species.
In the absence of mature achenes, accurate separation of juvenile specimens of S. cuneata and 5. latifolia has been extremely difficult. The surest means of identity is the bract-differences; S. latifolia has a boat-shaped bract somewhat firm in texture, while S. cuneata has a somewhat membranous lance-attenuate bract. Like S. engeImanniana, S. cuneata until comparatively recently was included in S. variabilis. Since its separation, however, a formidable synonymy has developed based entirely on vegetative differences. The careful observations of Lunell, along with excellent companion collections represented in many herbaria, demonstrate the wide edaphic responses of the same plant to varying conditions, and clearly show the futility of giving taxonomic rank to vegetative variations. The large winter-storage organs were sought as food by American Indians, especially in the Northwestern States, and with those of S. latifolia were included in the Indian name "Wapato."
Subarctic Canada, south to New England, New York, Great Lakes, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The plant is widespread on calcareous and muddy shores and the shallow waters of diverse freshwater habitats, occasional in tidal waters. S. cuneata is the common species of Canada and the northern United States and the only Sagittaria of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin. Collections examined from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, North West Territory, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan in Canada, and Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming in the United States.
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Distribution
Subarctic Canada, south to New England, New York, Great Lakes, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. The plant is widespread on calcareous and muddy shores and the shallow waters of diverse freshwater habitats, occasional in tidal waters.
Canada North America| New York United States of America North America| Iowa United States of America North America| Kansas United States of America North America| Texas United States of America North America| New Mexico United States of America North America| Arizona United States of America North America| California United States of America North America|