Like its more renowned cousin the lotus, the ling chiao flourishes in the warm, humid regions of China south of the Yangtze River, especially in the provinces of Kiangsu and Chekiang. Lacking the arresting beauty of the lotus, the rather unassuming ling chiao has not been immortalized in the annals of Chinese poetry.
採菱人以手代槳，並探身從水中輕翻起菱株，由花托末端眾多的菱角中，選擇成熟的摘下，置於小船後端，再放回菱株，讓未成熟的菱角繼續生長。