Sagittaria kurziana 

Springtape
Strap-leaf Sagittaria

Florida native

Click on any image to open the slideshow

An occasional plant of springs and spring runs in a two county wide range through the western side of the north peninsula from Hernando & Sumter Counties to Suwannee and Columbia Counties. Also found in Wakulla and Jefferson Counties of the eastern panhandle and Jackson County in Mississippi.
The flowers are typical of the Sagittaria genus, having three rounded petals on a branched stalk. In the case of S. kurziana the flowers may be underwater, laying on the surface, or erect just above the water. Springtape has ribbon-like leaves typically about 2 cm (3/4 in.) wide and 60 cm to a meter or more (2-3 ft. or more) long, but sometimes much shorter. The leaves have pointed tips and three to five prominent parallel ridges that run the length of the leaf. These leaf features help distinguish Sagittaria kurziana from the similar tape grass (Vallisneria americana).
More information about springtape and a short video can be found on the University of Florida IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants website.

Sagittaria kurziana is a member of the Alismataceae - Water-plantain family.

Other species of the Sagittaria genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
  Sagittaria graminea var. graminea - GRASSY ARROWHEAD
  Sagittaria isoetiformis - QUILLWORT ARROWHEAD
  Sagittaria lancifolia - BULLTONGUE ARROWHEAD

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species

USDA Plant Profile for this species

Date record last modified: Aug 07, 2016