Arum italicum -

Family:	Araceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.4
Width:	0.3
Synonyms:	A. neglectum. A. modicense. A. numidicum.
Range:	Southern Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa.

Arum italicum () is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.4m and a width of 0.3m . It has a hardness rating of 6and is vunerable to frost.
Arum italicum will flower in October to November. The flowers from this plant are monoecious (both sexes are found on the plant but each flower is either male or female) and they are pollinated by Flies

Soil Information

Arum italicum will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Arum italicum prefers either dry or moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Arum italicum can grow in full, semi shaded areas and areas with no shade.

Stony ground near the sea, hedges and among old walls, often on calcareous soils[17, 90, 200].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade
• Grows in a shady edge
• Is suited to a deeply shaded location

Cultivation Details

Prefers a humus rich soil and abundant water in the growing season[1]. Succeeds in sun or dry shade[90], preferring a shady position[4, 17, 31] and growing well in woodland conditions[1]. A polymorphic species[200], the British form has been separated off by some botanists as A. neglectum[17]. The leaves appear in the autumn, the plant staying green all winter[1, K]. 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[4]. 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[233].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
Tuber - cooked and used as a vegetable[2, 177]. An arrowroot can be extracted from the dried root[105]. The root must be thoroughly dried or cooked before being eaten, see the notes above on toxicity.

• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 0/5
None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse or cold frame as soon as it is ripe[134]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[134]. 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[200]. 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.

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[65].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of the British Isles.
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Author: Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Rating:
Publisher : A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Date of Publication : 1962

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

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