Most notable in the springtime, when it boasts an inflorescence of yellow-tipped flowers jutting out from green leaves, golden-club (Orontium aquaticum) is visible at Glenstone in the Pavilions Water Court. Golden-club is the only living member left of its genus, although other extinct species have been described in the fossil record. The leaves of this plant are particularly hydrophobic, repelling water droplets and giving it one of its other common names, “never-wets.” Golden-club is in the same family as another early wet-loving spring bloom, the skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), and it similarly pollinated by flies and beetles owing to its somewhat stinky scent. It is commonly found in the wild in acidic environments, and grows up to two feet tall and three feet wide.

–Kevin McDonald