Peltandra virginica

Peltandra virginica or Virginia Arum resembles Arums, which belong to the same botanical family. It is an aquatic plant that grows in shallow water and is suitable for most ornamental ponds. It is mainly decorative due to its beautiful green lance-shaped foliage, or arrowhead-shaped, which emerges well above the water surface. Its flowering in yellow-green spathes appears around June.

Peltandra belongs to the Araceae family, which includes over a hundred genera, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions, known to us as houseplants (Spathiphyllum, Scindapsus...), but also some in temperate climates. This is the case with Peltandra virginica, hardy to at least -20°C. This plant is native to the eastern part of the American continent, where it is common in Atlantic coastal plains, from the state of Maine in the north to Florida in the south. It is also naturalized in California and certain parts of Canada. It grows in wet areas such as marshes, turf moors, ponds, and lakes. Deciduous in most states, it is evergreen in mild climates.
This arum grows thanks to its spreading rhizomes, which gradually extend without being truly invasive, and produce new leaves. Carried by long petioles with a circular cross-section, which can reach 70 cm in length, the large leaves have a beautiful bright green colour, softer when they first appear, with a slightly glossy surface. Highly decorative, they are sagittate, meaning arrowhead-shaped or lance-shaped, with an upper part ending in a point, and two large lobes at the base. The lobes have more or less rounded ends. The leaves reach 25 to 30 cm in length with a width half as wide. Carried by their long petioles, they emerge widely from the water, initially slightly curled and pointing towards the sky, then spreading horizontally or even tilting downwards.
In June, Peltandra produces a curious flowering, typical of Araceae, in the form of an elongated floral spike called a spadix, of yellowish color, wrapped in a yellow-green sheath called a spathe. Measuring approximately 15 cm in length and 2.5 to 3 cm in width, the spathe slightly opens in the middle, revealing the spadix. Too discreet to be truly ornamental, the spathes tend to blend into the vegetation.

Its moderate growth allows Peltandra to be planted in a small pond, along with other decorative aquatic plants such as Sagittaria sagittifolia, or Arrowhead, whose upright leaves resemble those of the Virginia Arum. In July-August, it produces beautiful white flowers with a purple centre. On the bank, you can plant some Juncus inflexus 'Blue Dart' which will bring a bluish touch with their very narrow, stiff leaves. Nymphaea 'Aurora' is a hardy Water Lily with magnificent orange star-shaped flowers, also well suited to small ornamental ponds.