Common Name:

General Information

Arum italicum is a herbaceous, perennial plant growing from an underground corm around 5cm long. The plant produces a cluster of basal leaves 15 - 35cm long, plus one or more flowering spathes 15 - 40cm tall[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is often grown as an ornamental, valued especially for its flowering spathe and variegated leaves, and is sometimes grown in pots as a houseplant.

Known Hazards

The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten, but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Western Europe - Britain, France to southern Spain, throughout the Mediterrnean to Turkey, the Caucasua and Irag

Habitat

Stony ground near the sea, hedges and among old walls, often on calcareous soils[, , ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Flies
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Arum italicum is a plant mainly of Mediterranean climates with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. It comes into growth in the late autumn with the return of the rains, flowering in the spring before becoming dormant in the summer drought. It is also found in maritime Europe with colder winters and wetter summers, where it still maintains its winter growth habit but can tolerate colder temperatures, occasionally dropping to between -10 and -15°c[].
Prefers a humus rich soil and abundant water in the growing season[]. Succeeds in sun or dry shade[], preferring a shady position[, , ] and growing well in woodland conditions[].
A polymorphic species[], the British form has been separated off by some botanists as A. Neglectum[].
The leaves appear in the autumn, the plant staying green all winter[, ].
The inflorescence has the remarkable ability to heat itself above the ambient air temperature to such a degree that it is quite noticeable to the touch[]. This probably protects the flowers from damage by frost, or allows it to penetrate frozen ground.
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].

Edible Uses

Tuber - cooked and used as a vegetable[, ]. An arrowroot can be extracted from the dried root[]. The root must be thoroughly dried or cooked before being eaten, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse or cold frame as soon as it is ripe[]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[]. Stored seed should be sown in the spring in a greenhouse and can be slow to germinate, sometimes taking a year or more. A period of cold stratification might help to speed up the process. Sow the seed thinly, and allow the seedlings to grow on without disturbance for their first year, giving occasional liquid feeds to ensure that they do not become mineral deficient. When the plants are dormant in the autumn, divide up the small corms, planting 2 - 3 in each pot, and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for a further year, planting out when dormant in the autumn.
Division of the corms in summer after flowering[]. Larger corms can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up the smaller corms and grow them on for a year in a cold frame before planting them out.