wapato/duck potato (#2)

Orders come as 3 or 12 tubers

Wapato is an aquatic perennial plant native to all states in the eastern US, including some western states. It can grow prolifically in areas of shallow water and saturated soil along the water’s edge. My observations have shown that it grows most prolifically in water that is less than foot deep.

Wapato creates edible tubers a few inches below the mucky soil. These tubers can be un-earthed, or un-mucked, and eaten. DIgging for tubers should occur in the dormant season. They can be cooked as one would potatoes.

Wapato has historically been a very important wild food for indigenous peoples wherever it grows. It has gained some degree of popularity among modern day foragers. However, due to its unique habitat requirements and playing-in-the-mud aspects of gathering the tubers, it has not gotten the attention it deserves. It is a plant that can easily be semi-cultivated and wild-tended in the landscape, providing seasonal food that requires little to no care to maintain abundant production.

Plant details:
Genus & species: Sagittaria latifolia
Hardiness: Zone 5 to zone 11
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil type: Muck!
Soil moisture: Saturated, submerged