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A Forager’s Year

Not recommended. Not on the calendar. Read the safety warning first. Ways to use it, keeping and nutrition are left off this page.

drawing to come

Not on the calendar

Golden club

Orontium aquaticum

goldenclub, never-wet, bog torches

Roots, bulbs & tubers rootstock (boiled in several changes of water) - NOT RECOMMENDED

Find
Patchy
Effort
Real work
ID risk
Careful
Origin
native
Safety marks
  • Deadly lookalike
  • Toxic parts
  • Cook first

Season

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

in season peak

Picking: No park we checked allows it. Anywhere else, ask whoever owns or runs the land. See Where you may pick.

What these mean

Find

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

ID risk

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Native or not, and the invader stars

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Safety marks and flags

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

Seasons

Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.

Safety

NOT RECOMMENDED. NC State lists every part of golden club as poisonous, roots included, and rates the poison as low severity: the plant is rich in calcium oxalate, which can irritate the mouth and digestive tract and is destroyed by thoroughly cooking or drying the plant. NC State says never to eat the roots raw, because they can be very bitter, and to boil them for at least 30 minutes, changing the water several times. The Florida Native Plant Society says all parts of the plant are toxic and that people eat the roots only after boiling them in at least three waters to break down the calcium oxalate crystals. No source gives a way to check that a root has been boiled enough. NC State also says golden club causes contact dermatitis (a skin rash). Deadly lookalike: Fernald and Kinsey’s Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America (1958) says golden club and green arrow arum have similar roots, and Maryland’s state archaeology museum (Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum) says swallowing arrow arum can be fatal. Dig only a plant identified by its leaves or flower spike: golden club’s leaf blades are elliptic to oblong with no lobes at the base (Native Plant Trust), their waxy surface makes them look dry when lifted from the water, and the golden flower spike stands bare, with only a small sheath that soon withers (NC State). Arrow arum’s leaves are arrowhead-shaped, and its flower spike is wrapped in a pointed, light green sheath (NC State). CDC says people most often catch the liver fluke Fasciola by eating raw watercress or other freshwater plants, another reason never to eat water plants raw. Virginia Cooperative Extension says to gather aquatic plants only from a clean water source, never to harvest them alone, and to wear a properly fitting life vest.

Lookalikes

  • Green arrow arum (arrow arum, tuckahoe) Peltandra virginica deadly

    Fernald and Kinsey’s Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America (1958) says golden club and green arrow arum have similar roots and that Native Americans used the two somewhat interchangeably. Golden club’s leaf blades are elliptic to oblong with no lobes at the base (Native Plant Trust) and look dry when lifted from the water because of their waxy surface, and its golden flower spike stands bare, with only a small sheath that soon withers (NC State). Arrow arum’s leaves are arrowhead-shaped and its flower spike is wrapped in a pointed, light green sheath (NC State). Maryland’s state archaeology museum (Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum) says swallowing arrow arum can be fatal, and NC State rates it medium severity. Dig only a plant identified by its leaves or flower spike.

Safety flags

Safety marks and flags: what this means

Deadly lookalike / Toxic lookalike: a cited source names a lookalike of that danger, recorded near DC (an iNaturalist sighting within 25 km, a DC street tree, or a Smithsonian listing for DC) and looking like the part you eat. Other lookalikes are still listed, marked “not recorded near DC” or as not looking like the part you eat. Deadly means a source says eating it may be fatal or calls it deadly, or NC State rates it high severity with life-threatening symptoms (sources sometimes disagree; for example Virginia creeper). Each plant’s Lookalikes list says how to tell them apart; “harmless (may be edible)” lookalikes are listed so you know a mix-up isn’t dangerous. Cook first: cooking is needed for safety (for daylilies it is a precaution, not a sourced requirement). Eat in moderation: a source says to limit quantity or frequency (for example oxalates in sorrels and dock, ginkgotoxin, safrole). Spray risk: a source says the plant is commonly treated with herbicide in parks or lawns (invasive control, lawn weeds) or, for ginkgo, sprayed to stop fruiting. Contamination: a source says the plant concentrates pollutants. Each plant’s Safety flags list gives the details and sources.

ID risk
Careful
Why
The rootstock itself is poisonous until boiled at length in changes of water (NC State). Deadly lookalike: green arrow arum, whose roots are similar (Fernald and Kinsey, 1958), has arrowhead-shaped leaves and a flower spike wrapped in a light green sheath (NC State), while golden club’s leaves are elliptic to oblong with no lobes at the base (Native Plant Trust) and its golden flower spike stands bare (NC State); dig only a plant identified by its leaves or flower spike.
Handling hazards
Irritant sap/pulp (minor)
Soil risk
higher
ID risk: what this means

How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.

Handling hazards: what this means

Stings, thorns, irritating or phototoxic sap, staining hulls and spiny husks, with a severity: minor = brief discomfort; moderate = rash or blisters lasting days; serious = burns, scarring or medical care possible.

Soil risk: what this means

Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.

Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)

What it looks like

The rootstock of golden club, a native water plant of the arum family (NC State). Its long-stalked, dark bluish-green leaves stand in shallow water or float on deeper water, and their waxy surface makes them look dry when lifted out of the water, hence the name never-wet (NC State). The leaf blades are elliptic to oblong, with no lobes at the base (Native Plant Trust). In spring, tiny yellow flowers crowd the tip of an 8-inch, club-like spike with only a small sheath that soon withers (NC State); the golden-yellow spike rises on a green stalk 1/2 to 1 1/2 feet above the water and is followed by green fruits (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center). The leaves grow in rosettes at the top of a large rootstock (Fernald and Kinsey, 1958), and the plant spreads by stout, creeping rhizomes (NC State). Fernald and Kinsey say Native Americans used golden club much like green arrow arum, under the name tuckahoe.

When to pick

Window 1

Starts
early Mar
Peak
early Mar–late Mar
Ends
late Apr

Window 2

Starts
early Oct
Peak
–
Ends
late Nov

Shown only to record when the traditional dig happens; not recommended. NC State says to collect the roots in spring, and Fernald and Kinsey (1958) give autumn and spring, when the roots are well filled. Around DC the first leaves are logged on iNaturalist in March and flowering plants in April. No source gives dates for the DC area, so all boundaries are estimates.

How the dates were worked out

Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Season basis: estimated: start (window 1), peak (window 1), end (window 1), start (window 2), end (window 2)

Window 1: Start

estimated: No source dates the spring dig for the DC area; early March is the start of spring, when the first leaves are logged here.

Window 1: Peak

estimated: No source names a best month; March is early spring, before the plant flowers here in April.

Window 1: End

estimated: No source gives an end date; late April closes the spring that NC State names, as the plant flowers and sets fruit.

Window 1: Evidence

start: NC State: 'Collect roots in spring.' iNaturalist: research-grade DC-area sightings are 0 in January and February, 2 in March and 26 in April. | peak: NC State: 'Collect roots in spring.' Fernald and Kinsey (1958, book): 'roots, autumn and spring when well filled'. iNaturalist: the only flowering annotations within 25 km are in April (2). | end: NC State: 'Collect roots in spring.' and 'Blooms from April into June.' iNaturalist: sightings peak in April (26), then 6 in May.

Window 2: Start

estimated: Only an older book names an autumn dig; early October is the start of autumn, while leaves still mark the plant.

Window 2: Peak

Window 2: End

estimated: No source gives an end date; late November is when the last leaves are logged here before the plant goes dormant for winter.

Window 2: Evidence

start: Fernald and Kinsey (1958, book): 'roots, autumn and spring when well filled'. iNaturalist: 2 research-grade sightings in September, 0 in October, 2 in November. | end: Fernald and Kinsey (1958, book): 'roots, autumn and spring when well filled'. Florida Native Plant Society: 'Winter dormant'. iNaturalist: the last sightings of the year are in November (2); none in December.

Where to look

Shallow water of bogs, slow streams, ponds and tidal freshwater marshes; few wild plants are logged around DC, and the most sightings are of the planted beds at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, where picking is not allowed, so dig only on private land with the owner’s permission, in clean water.

Habitats
floodplain & stream-valley forest, wetlands, marshes & pond edges
Habitats: what this means

Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.

Most-logged places

None of the most-logged places allows picking.

No picking here (1 place)
  • Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

    4 sightings · Legal to pick: no · see them on iNaturalist

    Look but don’t pick: NOVA Parks fall under the same written-permission rule as Fairfax County parks.

Most-logged places: what this means

The places with the most research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km of downtown DC (re-counted in October 2026 over every named place, campuses, condominiums and private grounds included), each marked legal to pick or not. A sighting inside several named places counts once, for the smallest of them, but a sighting inside a National Park Service park never counts for a private, campus or unchecked place. iNaturalist shows where people walk and log plants, not true abundance. Private campuses, condominiums, museums, estates and utility land (Pepco’s power-line land near Sligo Creek) are marked “no” (pick only with the owner’s permission); public university campuses, city parks and other places whose picking rules were not checked (county stormwater land, the U.S. Capitol Grounds, Greenbelt’s North Woods, federal facilities such as the National Zoo) are “unknown”. A place needs at least 2 sightings, so plants with very few sightings have no places. At-risk plants (butternut, nannyberry, American chestnut, ramps, riverbank goldenrod) get places like every other plant; each page says why the plant is at risk and gives any advice its sources give. For some places, mostly Rock Creek Park, the iNaturalist map shows more sightings than the count here, because a map link cannot leave out exactly the sightings credited to another place. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Native or not

Origin
native
Native range
eastern United States, New England to Texas (per NC State)
Virginia invasive rank
not listed
Maryland invasive status
not listed
Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means

Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.

Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."

Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."

No official DC invasive plant list was found.

How the ratings were set

Find
Patchy Estimate 57 = 42 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 0 needs-ID sightings counted in full (golden club is the only Orontium with research-grade sightings here) + 15 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 3 by count (rule B). Final tier 3.
Effort
Real work
Find: what this means

1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.

Effort: what this means

1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.

Sources

21 sources, each linked to the original.

  1. Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
  2. 36 CFR 2.1 - Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (text of federal regulation)Backs up: picking rules
  3. Orontium aquaticum (Goldenclub, Neverwet) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at AustinBacks up: description
  4. Orontium aquaticum (golden-club), Go Botany Native Plant TrustBacks up: description, safety
  5. iNaturalist research-grade observations of Orontium aquaticum within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
  6. Orontium aquaticum L. (Golden Club) (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora) Virginia Botanical Associates (Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora)Backs up: habitat
  7. Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part II: Monocotyledons (Shetler & Orli, 2002) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of BotanyBacks up: habitat
  8. USDA PLANTS Database: Orontium aquaticum (ORAQ), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
  9. Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
  10. Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
  11. Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
  12. Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
  13. Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
  14. Peltandra virginica (Green Arrow-arum, Tuckahoe) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: safety
  15. Arrow Arum (Tuckahoe) (Education: Plants), archived copy of October 19, 2019 Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum (Maryland Historical Trust, the State Museum of Archaeology), via the Internet ArchiveBacks up: safety
  16. About Liver Flukes U.S. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionBacks up: safety
  17. Edible Aquatic Plants in Farm Ponds (CNRE-127NP; Crosby, Nerrie & Gregg, 2021, reviewed 2026) Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech and Virginia State University)Backs up: safety
  18. iNaturalist research-grade observations of Orontium aquaticum within 25 km of Washington, DC, by month (all observations) iNaturalistBacks up: season
  19. iNaturalist research-grade observations of Orontium aquaticum within 25 km of Washington, DC, by month (flowering) iNaturalistBacks up: season
  20. Orontium aquaticum (Bog Torches, Golden Club, Never Wet) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: season, description, uses, habitat, safety, native or invasive status, keeping
  21. Orontium aquaticum (golden-club, neverwet), FNPS Plant Database Florida Native Plant SocietyBacks up: season, safety