Peltandra virginica Arrow Arum
General
A deep green plant most often found growing along pond and lake shores, usually in water up to 1' deep. Foliage provides shelter, and the berries provide food to waterfowl. Peltandra virginica is usually avoided by mammals as a food source, as the foliage contains calcium oxalate crystals, which will cause severe gastrointestinal distress, and possibly kidney stones.
Plant Description
Large, usually arrow-shaped leaves. A bright yellow inflorescence is surrounded by a single white spade, making for an attractive flower. The flower gives way to a seed pod full of black berries. Growing to 2'.
Height (ft)
1-2'
Soil moisture
Wet
Soil types
Muck, sand, peat
Wetland indicator
OBL
Shade tolerance
Intermediate, Partial shade to full sun
Bloom color
White
Bloom period
Spring-Summer
Drought tolerance
None
Salinity tolerance
None
Distribution
Eastern half of the United States, mainly on the East Coast, surrounding the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Mississippi. Introduced on some parts of the West Coast.
Additional information
Brown, Lauren. Grasses: An Identification Guide. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York City, 1979. LINK
Fassett, Norman C. A Manual of Aquatic Plants, First Edition. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York and London, 1940. LINK
Garbisch, Edgar W., and McIninch, Suzanne M. Propagation of Wetland Plants: Herbaceous Plants, Shrubs and Trees. Environmental Concern, Inc. 2003. LINK
Harris, James G., and Harris, Melinda Woolf. Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, Second Edition. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, Utah. 2011. LINK
Hitchcock, A.S., and Chase, Agnes. Manual of the Grasses of the United States, Second Edition, Volume I. Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1971. LINK
Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press) LINK
McKenny, Margaret and Peterson, Roger Tory. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968. LINK
Newcomb, Lawrence. Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Laurence Newcomb, Mexico. 1977. LINK
USDA, NRCS. 2021. PLANTS Database (https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/, 08/20/2021). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA. LINK
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e836
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peltandra_virginica
https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/arrow_arum.html
