Peltandra virginica (L.) Raf. ex Schott

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.

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

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.

Plants can be grown from seed sown into waterlogged soil.