Golden Club
Orontium aquaticum
Family: Araceae
What it is like
Orontium aquaticum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers wet soil and can grow in water.
Height (m): 0.5
Where it is found
Sandy, muddy or peaty shores and in shallow water.
Eastern N. America - Massachusetts to Kentucky, south to Florida and Louisiana.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Root - cooked. It must be soaked in cold water for some hours in order to remove an acrid taste. The fresh root contains calcium oxalate and, when eaten raw, will produce an effect on the mouth similar to being pricked with hundreds of small needles. As long as the root is well cooked the calcium oxalate is broken down and the root is perfectly safe to eat. Drying the root also breaks down the calcium oxalate and makes the root safe to eat. The dried roots can also be ground into a powder and used with flour in making bread, biscuits etc. The root is deep seated in the mud and difficult to extract. Seed - dried. The seed must be soaked first in order to remove an acrid taste. Repeated boiling in changes of water are necessary to render the seeds edible. They have a taste like peas.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Succeeds in the bog garden or pond margins up to 45cm deep, but plants do less well if they are not grown in water. Requires a fertile loamy soil in full sun. Plant the rootstock in at least 30cm of soil. Another report says that the plant should be under at least 15cm of water. Plants are hardy to -15°c in one report, to -20°c in another, though another says they they may require protection in harsh winters. A most unpleasant animal smell is emitted from the flowers.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in submerged containers in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in trays of water in the cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed develops on the plant underwater in small green berries. Division in spring. Very easy, the divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.
Best place to grow: Pond; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 6-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Wet, water
Things to keep in mind
The plant is rich in calcium oxylate, this is toxic and if consumed makes the mouth and digestive tract feel as though hundreds of needles are being stuck into it. However, calcium oxylate is easily destroyed by thoroughly cooking or drying the plant.