About Alisma subcordatum Raf.
Alisma subcordatum, commonly known as American water plantain, is a perennial aquatic plant belonging to the water-plantain family Alismataceae. It reaches an approximate height of 3 feet (0.91 meters). Its lance-shaped to oval leaves grow from bulbous corms that have fibrous roots. Submerged leaves of this species are weak, rot quickly, and rarely stay attached to mature adult plants. From June to September, it produces a branched inflorescence bearing white to pink flowers that each have three petals. Waterfowl and upland birds eat the seeds of this plant. Native Americans dried and consumed the plant’s submerged root-like structures. Its specific epithet subcordatum translates to "almost heart-shaped". American water plantain is native to most of eastern and central United States and Canada, ranging from Texas to Georgia and extending north to Manitoba and New Brunswick. It has not been recorded growing in Florida. It grows in muddy substrates in still to slow-moving water, seeps, and wetland areas.
