| Alisma subcordatum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Alismatales |
| Family: | Alismataceae |
| Genus: | Alisma |
| Species: | A. subcordatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Alisma subcordatum Raf. |
|
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
Alisma subcordatum (American water plantain) is a perennial aquatic plant in the Water-plantain family (Alismataceae). This plant grows to about 3 feet (1 meter) in height with lance to oval shaped leaves rising from bulbous corms with fibrous roots. Any leaves that form underwater are weak and quick to rot; they rarely remain on adult plants. A branched inflorescence with white to pink 3 petaled flowers blooms from June to September. The seeds are eaten by waterfowl and upland birds.[3][4] The species name subcordatum means "almost heart-shaped".[5]
American water plantain is native to North America from Massachusetts to Florida and east to Texas and Minnesota. It grows in the mud of still to slow moving water, seeps, and wetlands.[3]