Orontium: Golden-Club of Ancient Waters

Orontium is a small genus of aquatic Araceae sometimes called golden-club, with one living species (O. aquaticum) and two fossil species known from Cretaceous and Eocene deposits. The extant O. aquaticum is endemic to eastern North America where it grows in acidic ponds, streams and shallow lakes; its pointed oval leaves bear a water-repellent wax coating and its inflorescence features a tiny spathe that withers early to reveal the spadix.