Giant arrowhead (Sagittaria montevidensis) care guide

Group
Plants
Other names
California arrowhead
Family
Alismataceae (water-plantain family)
Origin
Wetlands of North America (mainly West Virginia to Texas and South Dakota) and South America (Brazil and Bolivia to Argentina and Chile)
Water
freshwater
Maximum size
100 cm
Temperature
10–28°C
pH
6–7.5
Care level
expert
Lighting
High light or full sun; grown emersed

Care

Giant arrowhead is a robust, rhizomatous arrowhead of pond edges and shallow, often seasonal waters in North and South America. Its arrow-shaped leaves reach about 28 cm long on stalks over 75 cm, and its white flowers (2–3 cm) have a wine-red blotch at the base of each petal, flowering from June to September. Young leaves are ribbon-like and grow underwater. It is mainly a marginal plant for ponds and large tubs; the ribbon-leaved juvenile stage can be kept submerged in a large tank for a while, but the plant soon heads for the surface. It has been reported as naturalised in Spain, Tanzania and Java. Water figures are our estimate, not from the sources. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittariamontevidensis); Wikipedia, List of freshwater aquarium plant species. Checked October 2026.

Breeding

Divide the rhizome or raise from seed.

Compatibility and tank mates

A pond marginal; generally left alone by pond fish. Too large for most aquaria.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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