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Green Arrow-arum

Peltandra virginica (pelt-AN-dra vir-JIN-ih-kuh)

Family: Araceae Native Herbaceous (3-15 ft)

'Green Arrow-arum' is a native perennial found in freshwater bogs, ponds and marshy areas. The large leaves are variable in shape and size, but they are often generally arrowhead-shaped. They grow from a large submerged rhizome and are tolerant of low oxygen water conditions. The flowers appear in spring in a spadix. They are deciduous in the northern range and evergreen in the far south.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 35 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Fills a similar niche Asclepias incarnata subsp. pulchra Peltandra sagittifolia Saururus cernuus

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Water Plant
Life cycle
Perennial
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 1 ft. 6 in. - 4 ft. 0 in. | Width: 1 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The leaves are quite variable in shape and size, but they are often generally arrowhead-shaped. The basal leaves are 8-24" long and 4-10" across
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Spadix
Flower detail
The flower varies from whitish to greenish to yellow. The plant has both male and female flowers. The tiny flowers are arranged along a cylindrical spadix that is surrounded by a narrow spathe; this inflorescence is 4-8" long. Blooms from May to June.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Green
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit detail
Soft green to brown oval cluster of berries with a few seeds. Displays from June to July.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
green to green-purple to purple stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Canada and U.S.A.
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Summer
Fruit type
Berry
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Pond
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Water Garden
Garden tags
#native perennial #NC native #marshes #Piedmont Mountains OBL #Coastal OBL #food source summer #Audubon #swamps #spadix #food source soft mast fruit #boggy sites #collier preserve tn #pond

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.