Aroids (the family Araceae) 2018

[fermi de Sousa]

A group of cowled figures came to grief while attempting to cross a ravine!
#gnomesintrouble!
cheers
fermi

[fermi de Sousa]

A rescue effort has managed to bring several Biarum davisii tubers to the surface
cheers
fermi

[Gail]

Raised a smile - thanks Fermi! 

[François Lambert]

A very nice clump of Arum Maculatum growing under one of the pollarded willows.  I only noticed these this year because the area has been cleared of old vegetation when I was cutting teh wood of the willow.  Normally the spot is overgrown with nettles.

[Bart]

All A. maculatum seem to have suffered this year with the climatic conditions in my part of North Yorkshire, quite harsh cold/northerly wind/dry/high uv. This Arum italicum (I think) looked great though today, full open, unlike any of my A. maculatum :

[Mariette]

The slugs were swifter than me to discover the first flower of this arum. The seed came from Turkey 11 years ago, labeled Arum species. Now that it flowers I think it´s Arum dioscoridis.

[Jupiter]

Fermi I believe your pictures show Biarum marmariense. I had it labelled as davisii too but I am now fairly sure it isn't. Is that crack in the soil just from drought shrinking your clay subsoil? 

[Bart]

The slugs were swifter than me to discover the first flower of this arum. The seed came from Turkey 11 years ago, labeled Arum species. Now that it flowers I think it´s Arum dioscoridis.

Mariette, I think you are right. There are a few forms on the market; spectabile, liepoldtii and syriacum. I do not know if those names are official subspecies or just horticultural variations.  From your picture it looks like liepoldtii. I grow it in a pot this year and it has developed 2 flower scapes on one stem, a bit odd. I will post a picture when it opens in a few days, if it does at all. Many of my Arums have trouble opening fully, or at all, this year and I have no idea why. Some are very nice, like the A. dioscoridis (syriacum). This is a full month later than in London, where I saw it flower on  May 5th in chelsea Phisic Garden.

[Mariette]

Thank You for Your information, Bart! The seedlings were kept for many years in deep pots in my frost-free greenhouse where they grew very well but refused to flower. Rather in despair I planted them out in places where they might survive. In this case it obviously worked well.

[fermi de Sousa]

Fermi I believe your pictures show Biarum marmariense. I had it labelled as davisii too but I am now fairly sure it isn't. Is that crack in the soil just from drought shrinking your clay subsoil? 

Hi Jamus,
Sorry I thought that I'd responded already but my reply seems to have vanished into the ether.
I had suspected that this is B.marmariense but as it came from Otto I was hesitant to question it!
The soil had been cracking quite badly during the summer here - the soil is quite reactive and the movement plays havoc with rock walls especially!
cheers
fermi

[Graham Catlow]

To my surprise and extreme delight this Arisaema flavum has appeared.
Three years ago when we moved from Edinburgh I must have put it in this pot and don't remember seeing it since. I think I may have emptied the pot a couple of times and seen the small bulb but had no idea what it was so just put it back.
Its seems it the only Arisaema that survived the move. I lost elephas,consanguinium, and griffithii.

[ruweiss]

The cultivation of A.fargesii and A.candidissimum in big pots is quite easy
and rewarding for me. I love the tropical display of the huge leaves, the flowers are an extra bonus.

[ArnoldT]

Rudi:

I think you solved the problem I have with A. candidissimum always flowering and facing the wrong direction.

Just turn the pot!

[Bart]

The Arum dioscoridis liepoldtii is now flowering:



It wasn't a double flower after all, what looked like a second flower was just an empty sheath, I'm sure it will have a proper name..

In the garden a clump of Arisaema ciliatum var. liubaense is looking nice:



And to my surprise a Typhonium venosum (syn. Sauromatum venosum) is about to open I have never grown it in the open garden, this must have been planted with a pot of snowdrops from the greenhouse some time ago.



On the subject of flowers always facing the wrong way, I think Arums are undoubtedly the best at that.

[Mariette]

The spathe of Your Arum dioscoridis  is impressingly dark-coloured, Bart. Mine is probably less so, but I will have to wait for another flowering season to be sure.

Typhonium syn. Sauromatum venosum is known to grow and self-seed in gardens in the milder parts of Germany. It has even been found growing wild on the fringe of an urban wood.