Sagittaria trifolia

Sagittaria trifolia, the threeleaf arrowhead or Chinese arrowhead, is a plant species widespread across the wet areas in Europe and in much of Asia.

Description

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. The roots are like a lily bulb. They are 2-3 cm wide and 5-7 cm long. The corms are pale brown and rounded. The leaves are 18-25 cm long and have a long leaf stalk 40-50 cm long. The flowers are in a long panicle. The flower are about 2 cm across. The male and female flowers are separate.

Edible Uses

The tubers are starchy with a distinct flavour and should not be eaten raw. Roasted, they are excellent — tasting somewhat like potatoes. The bitter skin is best removed after cooking. Tubers can also be dried and ground into a powder for use as a gruel or added to cereal flours for breadmaking. They grow at the ends of slender roots, often 30cm deep and some distance from the parent plant; wild tubers reach about 15cm in diameter and are best harvested in late summer as the leaves die back. Per 100g dried root: 364 calories, 17g protein, 1g fat, 76.2g carbohydrate, 3.1g fibre, 5.8g ash, 44mg calcium, 561mg phosphorus, 8.8mg iron, 2,480mg potassium, 0.54mg thiamine, 0.14mg riboflavin, 4.76mg niacin, 17mg ascorbic acid; no carotene. Young leaves and stems can also be cooked, though they are somewhat acrid.

Traditional Uses

The roots are boiled and eaten. They have a bland, sweet taste. They need to be deep fried or boiled to remove the bitterness. The young leaf stalks are also used. The young leaves are used as a potherb.

Medicinal Uses

The plant is antiscorbutic and diuretic. The leaf is used to treat a variety of skin problems. The tuber is discutient and galactofuge, and may induce premature birth.

Known Hazards

Tubers should not be eaten raw. Tubers may induce premature birth.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in mud and grows near sea level. It grows in wetlands. In Sichuan. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Asia, Australia, Cambodia, Central Asia, China, Europe, Fiji, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, SE Asia, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam,

Cultivation

There is considerable confusion over the correct name of this species. We have adopted the approach followed in the Flora of China which seperates this species from S. sagittifolia and then divides it into two varieties, S. trifolia var trifolia - the wild form with smaller tubers, and S. trifolia var sinensis - a cultivated form with larger tubers. Found from the temperate zone through to the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 16 - 24°c, but can tolerate 12 - 28°c. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -10°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at 0°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 00 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 600 - 1,500mm. A pond or bog garden plant, it requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position. Grows best in a rich soil. Prefers shallow, still or slowly flowing water up to 30 - 60cm deep. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7.5, tolerating 5.5 - 8.2. The plant requires at least a six month growing season in order to produce a crop. Average yields can be 12 - 15 tonnes per hectare. A polymorphic species, the sub-species S. trifolia leucopetala is the form extensively cultivated for its edible tubers in China and other parts of Asia.

Propagation

Sow seed as soon as it is ripe in a pot standing in about 5cm of water. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle, gradually increasing the water depth as plants grow until it reaches about 5cm above the top of the pot. Plant out in late spring or early summer of the following year. Tubers can be divided in spring or autumn — a straightforward process. Runners can be potted up at any point during the growing season.

Other Uses

None known Special Uses Food Forest

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Arrowhead, Bea-bea, Chee gwu, Chee koo, Chinese arrowroot, Chinese potato, De si de luo, Eceng genjer, Flechiere, Gai jiu ding, Gauai-gauai, Kalopak, Keladi chabang, Khakhiat, Kuwai, Phak sob, Slok lumpaeng, Swamp potato, Taokiat, Threeleaf Arrowhead, Tikog, Ubi keladi, Watapo, Wo qi, Ya gan gai

References (28)

• Bot. Mag. 39:163. 1814 (As Sagittaria sinensis)
• Cao, Y., et al, 2020, Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants used by three trans-boundary ethnic groups in Jiangcheng County, Pu’er, Southwest China. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2020) 16:66
• Dahlen, M., 1995, A Cook's Guide to Chinese Vegetables. The Guidebook Company. p 121 (As Sagittaria sinensis)
• Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 4 (As Sagittaria sinensis)
• Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 283 (As Sagittaria sinensis)

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