ARUMLEAF ARROWHEAD

Sagittaria cuneata
family: Water-plantain (Alismataceae)
hešėxovávó'ėstse, "triangular plants" (Hooper 1975: 133)
 
Arumleaf arrowhead is perennial plant, up to 110 cm tall. It has three types of leaves. Arrow-shaped leaves, 1,5 to 11 cm long, are above water-table; heart- or arrow-shaped leaves, 3,5 to 4 cm long, are floating; linear leaves, to 45 cm long, are under water. Arumleaf arrowhead has white, regular flowers, to 25 mm in diameter. It blossoms in June to August. It grows in stagnant or slowly flowing shallow waters with muddy bottom. It ranges from central Alaska to New Scotia, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, central Kansas, western Oklahoma (Beckham and Cimarron County), central New Mexico and northern California.
Arumleaf arrowhead leaves was a part of Cheyenne medicinal mixture. They served as horse medicine and remedy for horses too. Dried leaves was smeared on racing horses as good medicine. Cheyennes gave arumleaf arrowhead leaves to horses suffering urinary troubles for relief or they fed sick horse with the leaves in mixture of other herbs (Hart 1981: 7). Cheyennes used to peel stalks of arrowhead bellow blossom and ate the inside raw. It is said it tastes delicately and young plant are slightly sweet (Grinnell 1923 II: 170).
 
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