(Arum, Cretan Arum)

At first glance of the Cretan arum in bloom, you'd think it was a lemon-scented calla lily. Native to the rocky mountainous hillsides of the Greek island of Crete, and adjacent western Turkey, it prospers in sunnier conditions, unlike many other arums which prefer shade.

The medium green, satiny leaves look like small arrowheads and appear from fall to spring. They die back in summer during the arid heat of the Mediterranean. Any time in spring, flower stems will rise above the leaves. Each bloom...

(Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies)

Grown primarily for its lush, often elegantly marked leaves, this tuberous herbaceous perennial is native to southern and western Europe. The large arrowhead-shaped leaves – which in many cultivated forms such as 'Marmoratum' are heavily veined with cream or silver – emerge from the ground in fall or early winter and persist through spring. Minute flowers are borne on a yellow club-like protuberance ("spadix") in late spring, which is hooded by a greenish-yellow leaf-like bract ("spathe"). Knobby...

(Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies)

Grown primarily for its lush, often elegantly-marked leaves, this tuberous herbaceous perennial is native to southern and western Europe. The large arrowhead-shaped leaves - which in many cultivated forms are heavily veined with cream or silver - emerge from the ground in fall or early winter and persist through late spring. Greenish-yellow, hooded spathes rise from the ground in late spring, each enclosing a yellow spadix that in summer bears red berries. The plant is considered to be in dormancy...

(Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies)

This tuberous perennial arum is distinctive for its vivid variegation. The large, arrowhead-shaped leaves are dark-green strikingly variegated with broad strokes of pale green in vein-like networks. Selected from a species native to southern and western Europe, 'Marmoratum' sends up its leaves in fall or early winter and they persist through late spring. Large, greenish-yellow, hooded spathes (purple at the base) appear in late spring, each enclosing a yellow spadix that in summer bears red berries...

(Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies, Spotted Jack Arum)

Prized for its large, variegated leaves and unusual flowers, 'Spotted Jack' is a selection of a perennial, tuberous arum native to southern and western Europe. The arrowhead-shaped leaves are veined with light and dark green and blotched with black. The leaves emerge from the ground in fall or early winter and persist through late spring. Large, greenish-yellow, hooded spathes appear in late spring, each enclosing a yellow spadix that in summer bears red berries displayed like an upright, plump...

(Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies, White Winter Arum)

Prized for the variegation of its large, wavy leaves, 'White Winter' is descended from a tuberous, perennial arum native to southern and western Europe. The arrowhead-shaped light-green leaves are stikingly marked with pale green in vein-like patterns. The leaves emerge from the ground in fall or early winter and persist through late spring. Large, greenish-yellow, hooded spathes appear in late spring, each enclosing a yellow spadix that in summer bears red berries displayed like an upright, plump...

(Italian Arum, Lords-and-Ladies, William Lanier Hunt Arum)

Admired for its lush, elegantly-marked and ruffling leaves, this tuberous herbaceous perennial is native to southern and western Europe. The large arrowhead-shaped leaves of the highly ornate selection 'William Lanier Hunt' emerge from the ground in fall or early winter and persist through late spring. Greenish-yellow, hooded spathes rise from the ground in late spring, each enclosing a yellow spadix that in summer bears red berries. The plant is considered to be in dormancy in summer.

This woodland...

(Arum, Black Calla Lily, Palestine Arum)

One of the most visually dramatic of arums, the Palestine arum's large flowers are purplish burgundy with a curved central black spadix. This herbaceous perennial is native to the woodlands and shrubby steppes across Israel, western Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, including those at higher mountain elevations. It doesn't grow near the Mediterranean coast. An atypical feature of this arum is the flower’s scent. It doesn’t smell rancid, like most arums, but emits a sickeningly sweet rose-like scent.

The...

(Goat's Beard)

(Goat's Beard, Misty Lace Goat's Beard)