# Italian arum (*Arum italicum*)

The Italian arum is a unique plant with large, arrow-shaped leaves and a striking flower that looks like a hood. It grows in shady places and can be found in gardens and woodlands.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate
- **Snaps:** 6
- **Habitat:** Woodlands

![Italian arum](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Cuckoo_Pint_Arum_italicum_Young_Plant_2874px.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Photo by and (c)2007 Derek Ramsey ( Ram-Man ), GFDL 1.2 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuckoo_Pint_Arum_italicum_Young_Plant_2874px.jpg)

## Appearance

The Italian arum has glossy, dark green, arrow-shaped leaves with prominent cream or silver veins, often appearing in autumn. Its unique flower consists of a large, pale green-yellow, hood-like spathe surrounding a yellow flower spike, followed by striking clusters of bright red-orange berries.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Liliopsida
- **Order:** Alismatales
- **Family:** Araceae
- **Genus:** Arum

## Interesting facts

- It smells like rotting meat or dung to trick flies into visiting its flowers!
- Its bright red-orange berries look tasty but are super poisonous if eaten!
- The Italian arum's leaves sprout in fall and stay green all through the winter!
- The plant's special flower can actually make its own heat, like a tiny heater!

## Special abilities

- **Heat-Generating Flower:** Italian arum flowers can warm themselves up to attract tiny flies and beetles, helping them pollinate the plant.
- **Stinky Attractor:** The plant emits a foul, carrion-like odor that draws in specific insect pollinators, helping it reproduce.
- **Toxic Shield:** Italian arum has irritating calcium oxalate crystals in all its parts, protecting it from most hungry animals.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 15-45 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 15-25 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** High
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Filter fly (*Psychoda alternata*) — Attracted by warmth and smell
- **Eats:** [Black slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — Can graze on the plant's leaves
- **Eats:** Blackbird (*Turdus merula*) — Disperses seeds by consuming berries

## Traits

- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [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.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 3/5 · Moderate

Don't touch or eat any part of the Italian arum, as it can make you feel sick.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Italian arum?

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 Italian arum?

15-45 cm

### How wide does Italian arum spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Italian arum?

15-25 cm

### When does Italian arum bloom?

Spring

### Is Italian arum edible?

No

### Is Italian arum toxic?

High

### What is Italian arum's lifecycle?

Perennial

## Where to spot

- [Woodland Park Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/woodland-park-zoo) — Washington, US · Zoo
- [Capitol Hill](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/capitol-hill) — District of Columbia, US · Neighborhood
- [Luther Burbank Home and Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/luther-burbank-home-and-gardens) — California, US · Botanical Garden
- [San Juan Bautista State Historic Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/san-juan-bautista-state-historic-park) — California, US · State Park
- [Wave Hill](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/wave-hill) — New York, US · Botanical Garden
- [Chalet Woods Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chalet-woods-park) — Virginia, US · Park

[View all places to see Italian arum](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/italian-arum)

## 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*)

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Source: [Italian arum: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/italian-arum)