Sagittaria (australis)

Janet M Grabowski USDA NRCS - Coffeeville/Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center 2533 County Road 65 Coffeeville, Mississippi 38922-2652 (601) 675-2588 (601) 675-2369 (fax) jgrabowski@ms.nrcs.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mspmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Alismataceae
Family Common Name:	Arrowhead Family
Scientific Name:	Sagittaria australis (J.G. Sm.) Small
Common Name:	longbeak arrowhead
Species Code:	SAGAUS
Ecotype:	Mississippi
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	1+0 container
Time To Grow:	6 Months
Target Specifications:	Height: n/a<br> Caliper: n/a <br> Root System: n/a <br>
Propagule Collection:	I generally collect seeds when fully mature and before any significant shattering occurs generally during late August through early October. I manually shattering fruit clusters on the plants and collecting falling seeds in a container.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds require only hand-sieving through screens (3/64 X 5/16 [1.191 X 7.938 mm] oblong hole) to remove small amounts of trash.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	I have stored seeds in zip-lock-type plastic bags in moist medium at 5.5 C (42 F) or in cold water (5.5 C [42 F] changed monthly to reduce algal growth) for up to 6 months. The cold moist conditions serve as a stratification process.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	I use a 3:1 (v:v) sphagnum peat moss:sand growing medium amended with commercially recommended quantities of pelletized slow-release fertilizer (for example, 1.8 to 3.6 kg/m3 [3 to 6 lb/yd3] Osmocote 13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 mo release rate at 21 øC [70 øF] or 1.8 to 3.6 kg/m3 [3 to 6 lb/yd3] Sierra 17N:6P2O5:12K2O; 3 to 4 mo release rate at 21 øC [70 øF]; The Scotts Company, Marysville, Ohio), 4.7 to 5.9 kg/m3 (8 to 10 lb/yd3) dolomitic lime, 0.89 kg/m3 (1.5 lb/yd3) Micromax micronutrient fertilizer (The Scotts Company, Marysville, Ohio) and a wetting agent (I use 0.59 kg/m3 [1 lb/yd3] 2000 G AquaGro [Aquatrols, Cherry Hill, New Jersey], which is no longer marketed). I pasteurize the sand in an electric soil sterilizer for 30 min at 82 øC (180 øF) to reduce weed problems.
Establishment Phase:	Plants germinate best on saturated medium (23% to 52% 10 to 11 wk after planting) after moist and water storage. Continued seedling growth of Sagittaria species seems to be best on saturated medium indicating a preference for anoxic conditions. I keep the medium saturated on a commercial ebb and flow greenhouse bench (Midwest Trading, Denmark) with water maintained 0.6 to 1.2 cm (0.25 to 0.5 in) deep. Greenhouse temperatures range from 13 to 38 øC (55 to 100 øF) during the germination period.
References:	Observations on seed propagation of 5 Mississippi wetland species, Grabroski, J., Native Plants Journal, Spring 2001. USDA NRCS. 1999. The PLANTS database, Version 3.0. URL: http://plants.usda.gov/plants (accessed 29 Sep 2000). Baton Rouge (LA): National Plant Data Center.

Citation:

Grabowski, Janet M.. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Sagittaria australis (J.G. Sm.) Small plants 1+0 container; USDA NRCS - Coffeeville/Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center Coffeeville, Mississippi. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/24). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.