SPECIES DESCRIPTION
BIARUM DAVISII
Family and Genus:- See- ARACEAE
Common Name:- None
Homotypic Synonyms:- None
Meaning:- Biarum (Gr) A name used by the Greek physician and botanist
Dioscorides for an arum-like plant.
Davisii (L) For Peter Davis, plant collector.
General description:- Low tuberous perennial.
Leaves:-
1) Appearing after flowering.
2) Lamina, 1·5-3 cm x (5-)10-13 mm, truncate, at the base; oval to elliptical, rather
coriaceous, deep green, sometimes with a wavy margin, often flat on the ground.
a) petiole, distinct, 2-4 cm.
Flowers:-
1) Female, 10-20, male, zone, 8-10 mm, sterile, sometimes present between male
and female and above the male, but very small and few, often absent.
2) Scape, 3-4 cm, slender.
3) Spathe, 3-5 x 1·5-2·5 cm, lower half tubular, swollen or bulging on one side
ventricose, upper half forming a triangular, acuminate, cucullate, forwardly-curved
lamina, greenish-white spotted with pinkish-brown.
4) Spadix, appendix, slender, dark red, shorter than the spathe.
5) Anthers, obtuse.
6) Stigma, sessile.
Fruit:-
1) Berry, white or pale green, sometimes striped with purple.
Key features:-
1) Spathe, strongly cucullate, with the tube about as long as the lamina.
Habitat:- Dry stony hillslopes, rock crevices, grassy places. 0-1000(-1400) m.
Distribution:- Cretan endemic with limited distribution. Rare.
.
Flowering time:- Flowering in late autumn, Oct-Nov, without leaves.
Photo by:- Steve Lenton
Status:-
Conservation status (for threatened species): Rare according to the Red Data
Book of Rare and Threatened Plants of Greece (1995)
According to IUCN 1997. - Rare.
Protection status (for threatened species): Greek Presidential Decree 67/1981.
