ITALIAN LORDS-AND-LADIES

RARE LORDS-AND-LADIES

Arum italicum

Arum Family [Araceae]  

Flowers:
month8May month8jun month8june

Berries: berryZpossible        berryZgreen berryZyellow berryZorange berryZred  (poisonous)
berry8jul berry8july berry8aug berry8sep berry8sept berry8oct

status
statusZnative
(ssp. neglectum)
status
statusZneophyte
(ssp. italicum)

flower
flower8green
 
inner
inner8cream
 
morph
morph8asymmetric
 
petals
petalsZ1
 
stem
stem8round
 
toxicity
toxicityZmedium
 
rarity
rarityZscarce
(ssp. neglectum)
sex
sexZbisexual

RARE LORDS-AND-LADIES
Arum italicum ssp. neglectum [RR]

But Clive Stace book IV thinks that the two alleged sub-species of Arum italicum are probably better not separated into two sub-species

11th April 2016, Lancaster, Lancs. Photo: © RWD
The rarer of the two supposed sub-species of Italian Lords-and-Ladies. The leaf lobes are less divergent - instead more convergent or parallel, often overlapping.


29th March 2018, woodland dunes, Formby, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD


29th March 2018, woodland dunes, Formby, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
The leaf veins are slightly paler than the rest of the leaf.


29th April 2005, Glasson Dock Branch, Lancaster Canal. Photo: © RWD
The leaves of this sub-species can only sometimes have dark spots. The basal lobes of this sub-species are somewhat convergent (sometimes even overlapping). The fruits have about half as many seeds (1 to 2) as those of ssp. italicum (2 to 4).




Arum italicum ssp. italicum

But Clive Stace book IV thinks that the two alleged sub-species of Arum italicum are probably better not separated into two sub-species


Photo: © RWD
The creamy-marble-veined leaves of some garden specimens. The leaves of this sub-species never (or only rarely) have dark spots. [The dark spots are now recognised as a fungal infection, so Italian Lords and Ladies must be more resistant to this fungus than plain Lords-and-Ladies (Arum maculatum) which often has black splodges]


Photo: © RWD
These specimens have rather more pale-green areas than most others. The lobes are divergent on Italian Lords-and-Ladies.


23rd May 2008, Shell Island, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
The veins are more visibly indented.


29th March 2018, Formby, sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Some of these specimens have less-wide whitish veins, but widely divergent lobes.


4th May 2016, Stretford, Greater Manchester. Photo: © RWD
Very shiny specimens.


10th May 2014, Bispham Green, Parbold, Lancs. Photo: © RWD


23rd May 2008, Shell Island, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
The creamy-marble-veined leaves of some garden specimens, the basal lobes of which are divergent. The fruits (not shown) have about twice as many seeds (2 to 4) as those of ssp. neglectum (1 to 2).


Easily confused with : Lords-and-Ladies but Lords-and-Ladies has a purple-brown spadix [the central spike] and a spathe [the cowl-like hood surrounding the spadix] which has purple edges whereas Italian Lords-and-Ladies has a yellow spadix and a yellowish spathe with no purplish edges.

In anywhere but the deep south of England where it can be found native, Italian (or Rare) Lords-and-Ladies is only to be found in or near gardens as an escapee.

Italian Lord's-and-Ladies consists of 2 sub-species, the common ssp. italicum [which appears in early Winter and has a pale mid-rib] and the [RR] scarce ssp. neglectum [with leaf-veins which are paler than the leaf with slightly converging basal leaf-lobes and which only sometimes has leaves with dark spots on]

There exists also the hybrid between Lords-and-Ladies and Italian Lord's-and-Ladies which also has leaves which appear in early winter which are often spotted.


  Arum italicum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Araceae  

Distribution
family8arum family8araceae
 BSBI maps
genus8arum
Arum
(Lords-and-Ladies)

ITALIAN LORDS-AND-LADIES

RARE LORDS-AND-LADIES

Arum italicum

Arum Family [Araceae]  

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