Sagittaria+latifolia

// Sagittaria latifolia // The Common Arrowhead >  This plant is a native emergent which grows up to 3 ½ feet tall. It is native to central or northern Illinois and other bordering states. It contains a rosette of basal leaves and at least one flowering stalk like this picture below.Both the leaves and flowering stalks are smooth and without hair or fuzz and contain a milky sap. Each stalk contains 2-3 flowers. Each flower has white petals with golden yellow stamens. The Sagittaria Latifolia prefers full or partial sun in a wet, rich and organic soil. As this plant is an emergent, it is aquatic and grows in shallow water. It can spread and be considered invasive. Habitats would mostly consist of marshes like Eagle Marsh or other woodlands, swamps, or bogs. It can also be found in streams and canals and is tolerant of polluted water so it is found in many areas.
 * This plant is valuable to the many insects of Eagle Marsh including a variety of bees, butterflies, wasps, flies, and beetles. Bees prefer the nectar of the Common Arrowhead as well as many other insects that also eat the foliage. Aquatic leaf beetles and weevils also eat the foliage located in ponds, swamps, and creeks. Larvae of some moths eat the leaves and petioles while the older moths dig into its crown. Ducks and other aquatic birds eat the seeds and tubers as well as muskrats. This plant is also valuable to the aquatic areas the marsh and is helpful to where erosion is a problem and is ideal for fishing areas



This family consists of aquatic flowering plants and is found mostly in the northern hemisphere or in temperate areas where they grow in shallow marshes and ponds. Most of them are perennial but there are some annuals depending on the condition of the water. Leaves are usually simple, smooth and green. They are arrow shaped and the veins are prominent. Petals are white or pinkish and stalks (or petioles) are long and may stand up out of the water. 
 * Water Plantain Family Alismataceae