Green arrow arum
Peltandra virginica

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A plant which keep growing from year to year. It grows in shallow water. The leaves are arrowhead-shaped. The root is like a bulb. It can weigh 2 kg. The flower is green and like a lily flower with a spike or spadix in the centre.

There are 2 Peltandra species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in marshes and swamps.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, North America, USA

How it is used for food

The roots, stems and flowers are eaten as a vegetable. It is the spike in the centre of the flower that is eaten. They are eaten cooked. The root is starchy and is roasted in a pit for a day or two then dried and used to make flour. The seeds are used to make a corncake. Caution: Like most Araceae family plants it needs special processing to remove the oxalates.

Edible parts

Flowers, root, seeds, stems

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed sown into waterlogged soil.

Its other names

Local names

Arrow arum, Virginia Tickaho, Tukahoe, Virginian wake robin

Synonyms

Alocasia virginica (L.) Raf.; Arum virginicum L.; Arum walteri Elliott; Caladium undulatum Steud.; Caladium virginicum (L.) Hook.; Calla virginica (L.) Michx.; Lecontia virginica (L.) Torr.; Peltandra angistifolia Raf.; Peltandra canadensis Raf.; Peltandra hastata Raf.; Peltandra heterophylla Raf.; Peltandra latifolia Raf.; Peltandra luteospadix Fernald; Peltrandra tharpii F. A. Barkley; Peltandra undulata Raf.; Peltandra undulata Schott; Peltandra walteri (Elliott) Raf.; Rensselaeria virginica (L.) L. C. Beck;