Arum italicum on 5-1-09, #12-42.
Italian Arum, Lord and Ladies
Arum italicum
AIR-um ih-TAL-ih-kum
Arum italicum Mill. is the accepted scientific name for this species of Arum. It was first described by Philip Miller in Garden Dictionary, 8th Edition, in 1768.
Accepted infraspecific names: Arum italicum subsp. albispathum (Steven ex Ledeb.) Prime, Arum italicum subsp. canariense (Webb & Berthel.) P.C.Boyce, Arum italicum subsp. italicum (type specimen), Arum italicum subsp. neglectum (F.Towns.) Prime
The genus, Arum L., was named and described as such by Carl von Linnaeus in the second volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753.
As of 11-19-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 26 species in the Arum genus. It is a member of the plant family Araceae with 142 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.
THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING.
Arum italicum on 2-1-09, #3-15.
Of course, this Arum is in the Araceae Family along with the Alocasia, Colocasia, Caladiums, etc. All members of this family are commonly called Aroids.
Arum italicum coming up on 9-8-09, #34-9.
When I arrived at the mansion in Leland, Mississippi in December 2008 I had no clue what I was getting myself into. It was dark when we arrived, so I didn’t get to see the yard until the next day. I got up and went outside and saw the biggest mess of overgrowth I had ever seen in my life. No one had been in the backyard for many years and it was an absolute disaster. While I was walking around I found this Italian Arum and in the same area was a large group of Iris fulva… WOW! What a find!!!
Arum italicum on 4-15-12, #86-48.
I brought several of these with me when I moved back to Missouri in February 2013 and planted them along the north side of the chicken house. They survived just fine for a while, then just fizzled out. They did not come back up in 2014…
Arum italicum on 6-1-13, #151-18.
The Italian Arum is hardy in USDA zones 5a to 9b, so we are in their zone. I am not sure why they stopped coming up. Maybe someday I will try them again.
BACK FROM THE DEAD!
Arum italicum (Italian Arum) on 2-15-23, #929-2.
As strange as it might sound, I spotted an Italian Arum that came up after 10 years of being dead along the north side of the chicken house where I planted them in 2013.
Arum italicum (Italian Arum) on 3-5-23, #934-1.
On March 5, I noticed it has another leaf. NICE!
Many times I have had plants that died in pots that I would stack up. Then later on when I was going through the pots, I would find one had come back up. I always said, “just because it is dead doesn’t mean it is dead.” That proved true once again…
Arum italicum (Italian Arum) on 4-22-24, #984-3.
The plant didn’t grow very well in 2023, so it is giving it another shot in 2024…
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The Belmont Rooster 