Peltandra sagittifolia
| Peltandra sagittifolia | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Peltandra sagittifolia (common name: white arrow arum)
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[1]. 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[1]. 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[1].
Cultivation: 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[1].
Plants are best grown in clumps[2].
Range: South-eastern N. America - North Carolina to Florida.
Habitat: Non-alluvial swamps, especially on acid soils[3], and in shallow water at the edges of ponds[2].
Edibility: Root - must be well cooked in order to destroy an acrimonious principle, see the notes above on toxicity[4]. The root contains much farinaceous material[2][5][6] and can weigh up to 2.7 kilos each[4].
Fruit[5]. No more details but caution is advised - see the notes above on toxicity.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Monoecious
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
Also Known As: P. alba. Raf. P. glauca. (Ell.)Feay.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Small, John. Manual of the Southeastern Flora. Blackburn Press, 2004.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.