Biology:Arum italicum

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Short description: Species of plant in family Araceae

Arum italicum
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Genus: Arum
Species:
A. italicum
Binomial name
Arum italicum
Mill.[1]
Subspecies[1]
Synonyms[1]

Arum italicum is a species of flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the family Araceae, also known as Italian arum and Italian lords-and-ladies.[2] It is native to the British Isles[3] and much of the Mediterranean region, the Caucasus, Canary Islands, Madeira and northern Africa. It is also naturalized in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Argentina, North Island New Zealand and scattered locations in North America.[1][4][5][6][7]

Description

Arum italicum grows 30–46 cm (1–1.5 ft) high, with equal spread. It blooms in spring with white flowers that turn to showy red fruit.[2]

By relative inflorescence height, Arum species are divided into "cryptic" species, whose inflorescences are borne on a short peduncle amid or below the leaves, and "flag" species, whose inflorescences are above leaf level at the end of long peduncles. A. italicum is a cryptic species.[8]

In 1778, Lamarck noticed that the inflorescence of this plant produces heat.[9][10]

A. italicum generally has a chromosome count of 2n = 84, except that a few subspecies (such as subsp. albispathum) have 2n = 56.[11]

Taxonomy

Within the genus, A. italicum belongs to subgenus Arum, section Arum.[11]

Arum italicum may hybridize with Arum maculatum.[12] The status of two subspecies currently included in Arum italicum, subsp. albispathum (Crimea to the Caucasus) and subsp. canariense (Macaronesia), is uncertain and they may represent independent species.[13]

Distribution and habitat

Arum italicum nativity by subspecies is as follows:[1]

  • A. italicum subsp. italicum is native to Albania, Algeria, Baleares, Bulgaria, Corse, Cyprus, France, Greece, Iraq, Italy, Kriti, Krym, Morocco, Portugal, Sardegna, Sicilia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, and Yugoslavia.
  • A. italicum subsp. albispathum is native to Krym, North Caucasus, Transcaucasus, and Turkey.
  • A. italicum subsp. canariense is native to Azores, Canary Islands, and Madeira.
  • A. italicum subsp. neglectum is native to Algeria, France, Great Britain, Morocco, and Spain.

Subspecies italicum has a multi-continental introduced presence, including in northeast Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, north New Zealand, and the U.S. states of Illinois, California, Maryland, Missouri, New York, and North Carolina.[1]

Invasive species

Arum italicum can be invasive in some areas, particularly in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.[14][15][16] It is very difficult to control once established. Herbicides kill the foliage of the plant, but may not affect the tuber. Manual control may spread the plants through the dissemination of soil contaminated with bulb and root fragments.[17]

Uses

In Croatia, its corms were eaten in times of famine.[18][19][20]

Toxicity

Leaves, fruits and rhizomes contain compounds that make them poisonous. Notably, the plants are rich in oxalates. The ingestion of the tuber may be fatal, as it affects the kidneys, digestive tract, and brain.[21] Additionally, the sap of the plant can cause skin irritation, so it is recommended that gloves should be worn when removing it from an area.[22]

Cultivation

It is cultivated as an ornamental plant for traditional and woodland shade gardens.[2] Subspecies italicum (the one normally grown in horticulture) has distinctive pale veins on the leaves, whilst subspecies neglectum (known as late cuckoo pint[23]) has faint pale veins, and the leaves may have dark spots.[24] Nonetheless, intermediates between these two subspecies also occur, and their distinctiveness has been questioned.[13][25] Some gardeners use this arum to underplant with Hosta, as they produce foliage sequentially: when the Hosta withers away, the arum replaces it in early winter, maintaining ground-cover.[14] Numerous cultivars have been developed for garden use, of which A. italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[26]

  • Corms
    Corms
  • Mature leaves
    Mature leaves
  • Spathe
    Spathe
  • Mature flower seen at Ancient Olympia.
    Mature flower seen at Ancient Olympia.
  • Maturing fruit
    Maturing fruit
  • Ripe fruit
    Ripe fruit
  • Botanical illustration
    Botanical illustration
  • Leaves of cultivar 'Marmoratum'
    Leaves of cultivar 'Marmoratum'

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Arum italicum Mill." (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/86047-1. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Arum italicum - Plant Finder". https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=y760. 
  3. ↑ P.A. Stroh; T. A. Humphrey; R.J. Burkmar et al., eds. "Arum italicum Mill.". BSBI Online Plant Atlas 2020. https://plantatlas2020.org/atlas/2cd4p9h.ycz. 
  4. ↑ Govaerts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  5. ↑ Castroviejo, S. & al. (eds.) (2008). Flora Iberica 18: 1-420. Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Madrid.
  6. ↑ Dobignard, D. & Chatelain, C. (2010). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 1: 1-455. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  7. ↑ "Biota of North America Program, 2013 county distribution map". http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Arum%20italicum.png. 
  8. ↑ Gibernau, Macquart & Przetak 2004, p. 152.
  9. ↑ Meeuse, B.J.D. 1975. Films of liquid crystals as an aid in pollination studies. In Pollination and Dispersal, ed N.B.M. Brantjes, H.F. Linskens, pp 19-20. Nijmegen. The Netherlands: Dep. Botany, Univ. Nijmegen.
  10. ↑ Pfeffer, W. (Wilhelm); Ewart, Alfred J. (Alfred James) (1906). The physiology of plants; a treatise upon the metabolism and sources of energy in plants. MBLWHOI Library. Oxford, Clarendon press. https://archive.org/details/physiologyofplan03pfef/page/372. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Boyce, Peter (1993). The Genus Arum. London: HMSO. ISBN 0-11-250085-4. 
  12. ↑ Plantsman v13:3, p142, September 2014; Royal Horticultural Society
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Boyce, P.C. (2002). "Arum - a Decade of Change". Aroideana 29: 132–139. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Garden Mastery Tips from Clark County Master Gardeners - Arum italicum". http://ext100.wsu.edu/clark/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/02/ArumItalicum.pdf. 
  15. ↑ "Natural Resources & Science - Resource Stewardship & Science - Region 1 NCA (U.S. National Park Service)" (in en). https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1027/nr.htm. 
  16. ↑ "Invasive Italian arum" (in en-US). https://wmswcd.org/species/italian-arum/. 
  17. ↑ "Control Options for Italian Arum". Whatcom County Noxious Weed Board. https://www.whatcomcounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/27070/Italian-Arum-Management#:~:text=Herbicides%20which%20contain%20the%20active,may%20not%20affect%20the%20tuber.. 
  18. ↑ Grlić 1986.
  19. ↑ Łuczaj et al. 2012, p. 360.
  20. ↑ Łuczaj & Pieroni 2016, p. 36.
  21. ↑ Prakash Raju, K. N. J.; Goel, Kishen; Anandhi, D.; Pandit, Vinay R.; Surendar, R.; Sasikumar, M. (2018). "Wild tuber poisoning: Arum maculatum – A rare case report". International Journal of Critical Illness and Injury Science 8 (2): 111–114. doi:10.4103/IJCIIS.IJCIIS_9_18. ISSN 2229-5151. PMID 29963416. 
  22. ↑ "Italian Arum Arum italicum". https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/italian-arum. 
  23. ↑ "Arum italicum subspecies neglectum - Late Cuckoo Pint (Araceae Images)". https://www.aphotoflora.com/mon_arum_italicum_neglectum_late_cuckoo_pint.html. 
  24. ↑ C T Prime (1961). "Taxonomy and Nomenclature in Some Species of the Genus Arum L". Watsonia 5 (2): 106–9. http://archive.bsbi.org.uk/Wats5p106.pdf. 
  25. ↑ Boyce, P.C. (2006). "New Observations on Arum italicum". The Plantsman 5 (1): 36–39. 
  26. ↑ "RHS Plant Selector - Arum italicum subsp. italicum 'Marmoratum'". https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/92886/Arum-italicum-subsp-italicum-Marmoratum/Details. 

Bibliography

Wikidata ☰ Q30968 entry



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