Peltandra virginica - Green Arrow Arum
| Family: | Araceae |
| Habit: | Perennial |
| Height: | 0.3 |
| Synonyms: | P. undulata. |
| Range: | Eastern N. America - Maine to Ontario, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana and Missouri. |
Green Arrow Arum will flower in December. The flowers from this plant are monoecious (both sexes are found on the plant but each flower is either male or female) and they are pollinated by
Soil Information
Green Arrow Arum 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
Green Arrow Arum prefers soils
Ideal Planting Locations
Green Arrow Arum should not be planted in shady areas.Swamps, borders of ponds and slow streams[1, 43].
Planting places suited to this plant described below.
- Is a pond plant
- A bog garden plant
Cultivation Details
Requires a wet lime-free humus-rich soil by the side of water or in shallow still or slowly flowing water in a sunny position[200]. Plants are best grown in clumps[1].Edible Uses*
* See disclaimerEdible Rating: 3/5
Seed - cooked. A slightly sweetish flavour, resembling parched corn[183]. A bread can be made from the dried and powdered seeds, it tastes like corncake with a strong flavour of cocoa[183]. Spadix (the flowering stem) and berries - cooked[2, 46, 61, 105]. A great delicacy, but they must be very well cooked otherwise they are poisonous[207]. The Indians would boil them for 9 hours[207]. Root - must be well cooked in order to destroy an acrimonious principle, see the notes above on toxicity[95]. The root is rich in starch[2, 46, 57, 61, 105] and can weigh up to 2.7 kilos[95]. It is highly astringent and has an unpleasant flavour[159]. The root can be dried and ground into a powder for use when making bread, soups etc[207].
- Flowers -
- Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
- Seed - includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicinal Uses*
* See disclaimerMedicinal Rating: 0/5
None known
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in late summer in pots of soil that are submerged to their rims in water[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in trays of water in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring[200]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer. Stem cuttings rooted in wet mud in the summer[200].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 tiny needles are being stuck into it. However, calcium oxylate is easily destroyed by thoroughly cooking or drying the plant[95].Other Uses
None knownCultivars
no recorded cultivarsReferences
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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