ARUM CRETICUM

Family and Genus:- See- ARACEAE

Common Name:- None

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Arum (Gr) A name used by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus.

Creticum (L) From Crete, Cretan.

General description:- Medium perennial 30-40 cm.

Tuber:-

1) 2-5 cm. diam, vertical, subglobose.

Leaves:-

1) Lamina, 8-15 cm, hastate-sagittate, basal lobes with an angular segment

projecting outwards and a rounded segment overlapping the sinus, appearing in

autumn, dark green, shiny.

a) petiole c. 25 cm.

Flower:-

1) Flowering in spring.

2) Peduncle, as long as the petioles or longer.

3) Spathe, 7-12 cm, less constricted and more inflated at base than in other

species, white, pale green or yellow.

4) Spadix, shorter or longer than spathe, dark purple or yellow.

5) Sterile flowers, often absent; if present, few and small.

Key features:-

1) Flowering in spring or early summer.

2) Sterile flowers absent or very few.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Seasonally damp, rocky places in gorges, olive groves, scrub and ruderal

habitats. (0-)200-1400(-2000) m.

Distribution:- Just extending to SW Anatolia; only recently discovered in Rodos.

On Crete mainly confined to the mountain massifs of (Kedros, Psiloritis, Dikti and

Afendis Kavousi).

Flowers:- Late Mar to mid-May.

Photo by:- Steve Lenton