NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
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20 NEBRASKAland • DECEMBER 2017 A s the weather turns cold most edible plants will succumb to winter's wrath and will have to wait for the return of spring to begin a new life cycle. But for now, one food source can still be found: the arrowhead plant, or wapato (Sagittaria), grows from a tuber that is buried deep in the mud. Arrowhead Leaves Arrowhead is an aquatic plant that grows a long-stalked, arrowhead-shaped leaf that can range in size depending on the type of arrowhead. There are many different species of arrowhead; the most commonly harvested is the broad-leaved arrowhead. As its name states, the leaf shape looks like an arrowhead with a point at the tip and two long lobes that point downward, forming a sagittate or arrowhead. The leaves can vary from 3 inches to more than 3 feet in length. They can be narrow or over a foot wide, and plants can differ in size when growing next to each other. The vein pattern of the plant starts where the crease in the lobes come together and goes outward to the leaf edge. The leaves grow over the water and can be a few inches to several feet above water. In the summer the wapato has a three-petaled flower that blooms on a spike separate from the leaves. During late summer the flowers turn into small green balls. These balls turn brown in fall and break apart to release small, winged, floating seeds. Arrowhead Tubers If you look up the history of the wapato you will see images of Native Americans in the frigid water trying to loosen tubers from their muddy grasp. These tubers are shaped like a potato, and they can be pea- sized to the size of an egg, with larger plants producing larger tubers. Tubers grow at the end of the stem of each plant. Each tuber will have a pointed, curled piece sticking out of one end. The wapato tuber will not have any roots protruding from it and will vary in color from purple to reddish-brown to cream colored depending on the water they grow in. One plant that could be mistaken for the wapato is the arrow arum (Peltandra virginica), which is an aquatic plant. It also has an arrowhead-shaped leaf but is easy to identify. The arrow arum's leaves have smaller lobes and are smooth along the outer edge. The leaf veins are arranged in two rows along opposite sides of a main vein. This plant can make you sick if eaten. Collecting Arrowhead Tubers Collecting tubers should be done starting in late fall when they are full-grown and the plant starts to die and turn brown. In areas where water does not freeze, the wapato can be harvested all winter or when there is no ice. They can also be collected in early spring, but they will shrink and die soon after that. Do not collect plants that are growing in stagnant, standing water. Getting the plant out of the mud takes some work and waders or hip boots, and is done by using a potato hook or three-tined garden rake and raking back and forth, moving the top layers of mud to release the tubers. If the tubers are ready to collect, they will float to the surface. Collecting can also be done with bare feet by moving the mud and feeling the tubers and releasing them. While this method is more fun, it is a wet and muddy job. Preparing Arrowhead Tubers To prepare the tubers, remove the skirts with your fingers and rinse them. Cut off the end with the shoot and the opposite end where the tuber was attached to the stem or rhizome. Then peel it like you would a potato, trying not to waste too much flesh. Once peeled, boil them for about 30 minutes, drain the water and use them like potatoes, alone or in dishes that call for potatoes. They can be cold-stored , but only for a month or less. ■ Wild Edibles - Broad-leaved Arrowhead By Julie Geiser E h b ill h As its name states, the leaf shape looks like an arrowhead with a point at the tip and two long lobes pointing downward, forming a sagittate or arrowhead. The leaves grow over the water and can be a few inches to several feet above water. PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER