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Golden-club

Orontium aquaticum

Found in ponds, lakes and their shores; streams, rivers and their banks; swamps. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

29
Good

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
1–2 feet
Spread
1–2.5 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Moist to standing water

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
February to May
Fruiting season
May to July

Recorded in 4 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Swamps

The Chickahominy Swamp LCCN2004661405
William McIlvaine, The Chickahominy Swamp (1862): wind-tossed swamp trees standing in dark water under a storm. Shown: Chickahominy Swamp, Virginia, a neighboring state.The Chickahominy Swamp LCCN2004661405, William McIlvaine (1813-1867), 1862. Public domain. Source record. scaled to 1280 x 909 by the Wikimedia thumbnailer from 6171 x 4382; no crop or other change

Ponds, lakes and their shores

Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 89 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (47)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Orontium

  • Elophila icciusalisPondside Pyralid, Pondside Crambid
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Parapoynx maculalisPolymorphic Pondweed Moth
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
3BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Orontium

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Araceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–10b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Yellow, green or white
Fruit begins
May
Fruit ends
July

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Bog Torches; Golden Club; Never Wet

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS3S4
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources