Orontium aquaticum - Golden Club

Family:	Araceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.5
Synonyms:
Range:	Eastern N. America - Massachusetts to Kentucky, south to Florida and Louisiana.

Orontium aquaticum (Golden Club) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.5m . It has a hardness rating of 7and is vunerable to frost.
Golden Club will flower in October to November. The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Insects

Soil Information

Golden Club will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Golden Club prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Golden Club should not be planted in shady areas.

Sandy, muddy or peaty shores and in shallow water[43].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Is a pond plant
• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in the bog garden or pond margins up to 45cm deep[56, 200], but plants do less well if they are not grown in water[188]. Requires a fertile loamy soil in full sun[200]. Plant the rootstock in at least 30cm of soil[1]. Another report says that the plant should be under at least 15cm of water[245]. Plants are hardy to -15°c[200] in one report, to -20°c in another[187], though another says they they may require protection in harsh winters[56]. A most unpleasant animal smell is emitted from the flowers[245].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 3/5
Root - cooked. It must be soaked in cold water for some hours in order to remove an acrid taste[46, 161]. 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[2, 55]. Drying the root also breaks down the calcium oxalate and makes the root safe to eat[105]. The dried roots can also be ground into a powder and used with flour in making bread, biscuits etc[207]. The root is deep seated in the mud and difficult to extract[95]. Seed - dried[1, 95]. The seed must be soaked first in order to remove an acrid taste[46, 55, 161]. Repeated boiling in changes of water are necessary to render the seeds edible[2]. They have a taste like peas[207].

• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
• Seed - includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 0/5
None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe in submerged containers in a cold frame[188]. 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[200]. Division in spring[200]. Very easy, the divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.

Scented parts of the plants

Flowers : Fresh

Known Hazards

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.

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Gray's Manual of Botany.
Fernald. M. L.
Author: Fernald. M. L.
Rating:
Publisher : A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
Date of Publication : 1950

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

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