Bull-tongue Arrowhead
Sagittaria lancifolia
Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 82%
- Height
- 1–6 feet
- Spread
- 1–3 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Moist to standing water
Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
Recorded in 5 Mississippi counties.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 60 animals.
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- White IbisEudocimus albus
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Wilson's PloverCharadrius wilsonia
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Wilson's WarblerWilsonia pusilla
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
Widespread birds also seen here (31)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Belted Kingfisher
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Common Nighthawk
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Eastern Kingbird
- Eastern Screech-owl
- Eurasian Collared-dove
- European Starling
- Great Horned Owl
- Hooded Merganser
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Purple Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Tufted Titmouse
- Turkey Vulture
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS
Genus host records with ranges including MS · Sagittaria
- Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
- Argyrogramma verrucaGolden Looper
- Bellura obliquaCattail Border Moth, Cattail Diver
- Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
- Parapoynx obscuralisObscure Pondweed Moth
- Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
- Bellura anoa
11BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Sagittaria
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
10BirdsRecorded eating Sagittaria in Mississippi
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Mississippi, most records first.
- CanvasbackRoots. 5 diet records
- Lesser ScaupSeeds. 3 diet records
- MallardSeeds and roots. 2 diet records
- Sandhill Crane2 diet records
- Wood DuckRoots. 2 diet records
- American CootSeeds. 1 diet record
- American WigeonSeeds. 1 diet record
- Common GoldeneyeSeeds. 1 diet record
- Ring-necked DuckRoots. 1 diet record
- Snow GooseRoots. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Sagittaria 10
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- American CootFulica americana
- American WigeonAnas americana
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- Snow GooseChen caerulescens
Plant details
- Family
- Alismataceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 6a–11b
- Flower color
- Pink or white
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Pink or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 6a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “1–6 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Frequent standing water; Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Bull tongue Arrowhead; Sagittaria falcata
Conservation status
| Mississippi rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5? |
| MS status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Mississippi occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications