[citation needed] P. virginica is a hydrophytic marshland aquatic plant pollinated by a chloropid fly through providing a brood site and releasing the pollen onto them.

[5][11] Peltandra virginica is a marshland aquatic plant, growing in North America bogs, ponds, and marshes.

[14] He describes its starchy root as a primary food source of the Powhatan Indians which they gathered from the marshes of Virginia.

It was originally described as Arum virginicum by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and has also been placed in the genera Alocasia, Caladium, Calla, Lecontia, and Rensselaeria.

[15] P. virginica can be distinguished from the other extant taxon of Peltandra by the variation in leaf form, average greater size in non-reproductive structures, and the difference in color of the fruit.

[4] Peltandra virginica is a native to North America; its range spans the entire eastern coast of the United States and goes as far west as Texas.

[16][3] Based on the Red List of Threatened Species 2016, P. virginica is a taxon of Least Concern, this is because of its broad range in eastern and central North America.

[3] In the pistillate stage the spadix of P. virginica is entirely covered by the spathe, not allowing insects to pollinate female flowers.

Indigenous peoples of the Americas used most parts of the plant for food, however, cooking it for hours first to make it safe to eat.

The section of P. virginica's range where its populations are highest, from Pennsylvania to coastal Virginia, are where it was most likely used for food.

[3] The non-reproductive structures of Peltandra virginica are known to contain calcium oxalate crystals, that can irritate the gastrointestinal system of animals and people and has been linked to the development of kidney stones.