Dear PBS, I’m surprised no one has mentioned some other ‘Hardy Tuberous Aroids’. I live in Kansas City with cold winters and hot summers with alkaline clay soils. Helicodiceros muscivorus, the dead horse arum, is the most amazing hard aroid. The form of the leaves, the shape of the flower and the unbelievable smell of fully open flowers are all unique. I grew this with winters in the greenhouse for a couple years until it multiplied enough to risk a plant outside. Eventually I had a half dozen blooming plants on a west facing slope. Vultures would circle and land looking for the body. Then one winter they all “died’ and were gone. A year later a single plant revived and I hope it multiplies. This was after a winter low of - 8 F. This plant should be easily hardy in Zone 6 and 7 - good drainage, western exposure and light shade. Biarum tenuifolium is one of the smaller aroids. The leaves blend readily in with most weeds and the flowers are not striking. I grew this for years in a raised bed with excellent drainage, but had to watch after it closely as it was easily hidden by weeds. It multiplied well and bloomed, but I never saw the flowers due to the gap between vegetative and floral growth. Eventually it succumbed to weeds and weather. Might have done better in a trough where it could be better isolated and care for in a milder climate Arisarum proboscideum, the “mouse plant’ is another tiny aroid that I have grown in a shady woodland setting. The distinctive flowers have a long upright curly appendage vaguely reminiscent of a mouse’s tail sticking up through low vegetation. Very cute and very delicate. I could never keep it alive for long although a friend has a large patch in full sun. Two other species in the genus, A. vulgare and A. simorrhinum are too tender for me. Pinellia is a controversial genus as some of the species are vicious weeds in woodland or sunny gardens, but a few are very desirable and less vicious in cooler climates. I grow a few here and especially like P. pedatisecta which is one of the largest species and briefly grew P. peltatum. Be adventurous and try these. Jim W. _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>