Northern water plantain (Plants of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque)

Northern water plantain

Alisma triviale

Summary ⁵

Alisma triviale (northern water plantain) is a semi-aquatic plant that is mostly found in watery lands. It is a common flowering plant in the United States, Canada, and in areas of northern Mexico.

Botanical Information ⁶

Alisma triviale, or named simply as the northern water plantain, is an herbaceous perennial species that grows from Canada all the way to northern Mexico, but is mostly native to the United States. They are known to bloom around July to August, and require low maintenance to grow. The plant stem is green and slender with even skinnier branches and tiny flowers on each end. The flowers have white petals and a green middle. The plant’s shape and size as a whole varies depending on its environment. To put it simply: it looks like the aquatic cousin of a bush.

Ecological Information ⁷

Northern water plantain is a semi-aquatic flora and thrives in wet and watery places with some access to sun light. The most likely spots you’ll find them is in lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, streams, shores, wetlands, and anthropogenic (human-made/disturbed) habitats. The requirements to grow them are not high in demands. Being a semi-aquatic plant means they need wet marshy areas to grow in. They need a full amount of sun to properly develop flowers. Northern water plantain is not known to have harmful diseases or pest problems when growing.

Ethnobotanical Information ⁸

Research from the Native American Ethnobotany Database documents the Cherokee Nation use the plantain to make a poultice as treatment for bodily injuries such as wounds, swellings, bruises, and ulcers. The stem can also be used as medicine for stomach and bowel movement conditions, as used by the Cree Nation. The plant has a fruit (if you choose to call it that) but it's dry and can be inedible when ripe. (Note: Ethnobotanical reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)

References ⁹

Alisma triviale. (2021, May 6). In Wikipedia. Retrieved July 6, 2021, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisma_triviale

Missouri Botanical Garden. (n.d.). Alisma triviale. Retrieved July 6, 2021, from
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=275653

Native Plant Trust. (n.d.). Alisma triviale. Go Botany. Retrieved July 6, 2021, from
https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/alisma/triviale/

About the Author ¹⁰

Student author*: Aiden, 15 years old, The International School at Mesa del Sol

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

(c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7457894@N04/2693801487
(c) Ian Bryson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/icbryson/7722258692/
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/9133215827/
(c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/29759933737/
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alisma_triviale
(c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Kiley Spurlock from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

iNat Map

Flower	small, white
Uses	medicinal
Habitat	Semi-Aquatic
Native	yes
Life cycle	perennial

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