Orontium aquaticum

RHS Plant Profile
golden club

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golden club RHS 2003

Other common names

floating arum, never-wets, tawkin

Aquatic
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A marginal aquatic perennial with glaucous leaves to 25cm in length, and slender flowering spadices to 15cm in height

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Clay, Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam
Moisture
Poorly–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun
Aspect
South–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H5

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Araceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming, Submerged
Genus
Orontium are rhizomatous aquatic perennials with oblong-elliptic, submerged, floating or aerial leaves and tiny bright yellow flowers near the tips of the slender white spadix in spring and summer
Name Status
Correct
Plant Range
E USA

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow in deep mud at pool margins or in loam filled baskets in water no more than 60cm deep, in full sun. Short-lived flower spikes should be removed as they fade. See pond plants for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by division of rhizomes in spring, or by seed sown in very shallow water as soon as ripe

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Low Maintenance

Pruning

Deadhead and remove yellow leaves regularly

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free