Arum italicum etc.

James Waddick jwaddick@kc.rr.com
Thu, 15 Jul 2004 11:18:53 PDT
Dear All;
	Ok here goes.
	Arum italicum is very easy here. I grow it in full sun and 
partial shade, but it does best in full sun. It blooms regularly, 
sets copious seed and self sows regularly. In really hard winters the 
foliage is brutalized, but more develops in spring. If the winter is 
milder (not below 0F for long), the new leaves can be quite large and 
gorgeous.
	As big or bigger is the form known as 'Chameleon'. The true 
cv (a division) is still small, but older seedlings are even larger 
than typical and have a wonderful and variable range of leaf forms 
and patterns. I much prefer any of these to the best silver-veined 
forms of typical. I also grow the green form and ssp albispathum and 
neglectum.
	Some 'Chameleon' are almost all silver with slight grey-green 
splashes or edging. Really spectacular.
	Some literature suggests this is a hybrid, but the 'bible 
(The Genus Arum by Peter Boyce, Kew) finds it pure A italicum.

	I try as many Arum as I can and grow all the hardy ones I 
can. Arum maculatum does OK in sun, but prefers some more shade. It 
varies from solid green to having rows of dark spots and sometimes 
these spots are 'embedded' in the leaf surface. There is a form known 
as 'Painted Lady' with variegated foliage I have yet to actually 
acquire (I have received tubers with this name, but without this 
variegation).

	Arum nigrum is also a favorite here because of its sultry 
'black' flowers(spathes). The foliage is solid green and it seeds 
around a bit too, but it took a long time to settle down and start 
blooming.

	There's more, but I won't go on. Then there's the related 
aroids- Dracunculus (the largest got to near 5 ft this year), 
Typhonium (including Sauromatum), Arisaema, Biarum, Pinellia ( a 
favorite)  and probably another one or two genera.

	Most all Arum are going or totally dormant with fruiting 
spikes beginning to color.

		best	Jim W.
-- 
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
E-fax  419-781-8594

Zone 5 Record low -23F
	Summer 100F +


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