# arum lilies (*Arum*) Arum lilies are beautiful flowers with a unique shape that looks like a trumpet. They come in many colors, including white, yellow, and pink, and can grow in gardens or near water. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![arum lilies](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Arum_maculatum_0_700.jpg&width=800) Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arum_maculatum_0_700.jpg) ## Appearance The arum lily has a unique, hood-like leaf structure called a spathe, which often wraps around a central stalk, the spadix. The spathe can be creamy white, green, or purplish-brown, sometimes mottled, making it visually distinct from typical open flowers. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Liliopsida - **Order:** Alismatales - **Family:** Araceae - **Genus:** Arum ## Interesting facts - Arum lilies can keep visiting insects trapped inside overnight to ensure pollination. - Some arum lilies actually create their own heat, like a tiny plant heater! - The colorful "petal" is actually a fancy leaf that wraps around the real flowers. - Their strange smell helps them trick flies into visiting their "flower" for pollen. ## Special abilities - **Heat Generator:** Arum lilies can warm their flower parts to spread stinky smells more effectively, attracting pollinators. - **Insect Trap:** The lily's special flower shape temporarily traps small flies inside, ensuring they pick up pollen. - **Stinky Signal:** Arum lilies produce foul odors, like rotting meat, to attract carrion-loving insects for pollination. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 20-60 cm - **Spread:** 30-50 cm - **Flower Size:** 10-30 cm - **Bloom Season:** Spring, early summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Moderate - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Drain Fly (*Psychoda phalaenoides*) — Attracted by the lily's warm, foul odor. - **Pollinates:** Lesser House Fly (*Fannia canicularis*) — Drawn to the carrion-like scent for pollination. - **Eats:** Blackbird (*Turdus merula*) — Eats the bright red berries, helping to spread seeds. - **Eats:** Spanish Slug (*Arion lusitanicus*) — Slugs can feed on leaves and young shoots of the plant. ## Traits - [Bell-Shaped Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/bell-shaped-flower): Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell. - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Tube Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/tube-flower): A tube flower has petals fused together at the base, forming a distinct tubular structure that typically holds nectar deep within. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate Do not touch or eat the flowers, as they can be harmful. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify arum lilies? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is arum lilies? 20-60 cm ### How wide does arum lilies spread? 30-50 cm ### How big are the flowers on arum lilies? 10-30 cm ### When does arum lilies bloom? Spring, early summer ### Is arum lilies edible? No ### Is arum lilies toxic? Moderate ### What is arum lilies's lifecycle? Perennial ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Arum Lilies: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/arum-lilies)