Species

Arum italicum

Etymology

Arum: From the Greek word aron which means ‘climbing’ or ‘poisonous plant’.

Common Name(s)

Italian arum

Authority

Arum italicum Mill.

Family

Araceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Exotic

NVS Species Code

ARUITA

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

Structural Class

Monocotyledonous Herbs

Habitat

Heavily disturbed shrubland and forest, herbfield, damp areas with low cover, regenerating ex-pasture.

Features

Tuberous, clump-forming perennial 25-60 cm tall. Main tuber 4 cm diameter, many small tubers attached. Leaves up to 30 cm long, arrow shaped (young leaves thinner), glossy, dark-green with creamy midrib and main veins, purple-tinged, present from Autumn to Spring. Flower a yellow spike, surrounded by a 30 x 15 cm, pale green translucent bract. Berries 1 cm, orange or red, on flower stalk after leaves die back.

Similar Taxa

May be confused with Zantedeschia aethiopica, or other lilly species (Calla, Dracunculus) but the dark green leaves with creamy mid-rib and veins are very distinctive.

Flowering

October, November

Flower Colours

Yellow

Fruiting

November, December

Year Naturalised

1945

Origin

Eurasia

Reason For Introduction
Ornamental

Life Cycle Comments
Perennial.

Reproduction
Spreads via seed and slow vegetative spread.

Dispersal
Probably bird dispersed.

Tolerances
drought resistant once established.

Poisonous plant:
All parts of the plant are poisonous including the bright orange berries.

This page last updated on 5 Dec 2010