Flower profile

Lanceleaf arrowhead

Sagittaria lancifolia

Lanceleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria lancifolia) is a flowering plant in the Alismataceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly April–September across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Lanceleaf arrowhead is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–September.

12states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

10,107U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Florida, Louisiana

Quick look

Sagittaria lancifolia, the bulltongue arrowhead, is a New World perennial, monocot plant in the family Alismataceae, genus Sagittaria, with herbaceous growth patterns.
From Wikipedia's article Sagittaria lancifolia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Alismataceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 12 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Florida and Louisiana. ^NatureServe
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–November. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 8,111 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #10 among the 151 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 476 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #75 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (752 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	January–November	8,111
Louisiana	Native	few records (35)	476

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DE (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “Edible egg-shaped rhizomes.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records lanceleaf arrowhead in 12 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion.

Names, range and relatives

Native status by region (USDA PLANTS): Lower 48 states: Native; Puerto Rico: Native.

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 149 counties across 11 states; the most are in Florida (52), Virginia (19), North Carolina (16).

More Florida flowers

White beggarticks

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American beautyberry

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🌼 Blooms in FL: May–July

Largeflower Mexican clover

Richardia grandiflora

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in FL: November–December

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile SALA.
iNaturalist, Sagittaria lancifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Sagittaria lancifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Florida: Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055).
Florida: Florida Noxious Weed List (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-57.007).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Sagittaria lancifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Yann Kemper via iNaturalist · CC0 · resized.