Arum dioscoridis

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Ordo: Alismatales

Familia: Araceae
Subfamilia: Aroideae
Tribus: Areae
Genus: Arum
Species: Arum dioscoridis
Name

Arum dioscoridis Sm. in J.Sibthorp & J.E.Smith, Fl. Graec. Prodr. 2: 245 (1816).
Synonyms

Homotypic
Arum dioscoridis var. smithii Engl. in A.L.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 2: 583 (1879), nom. inval.
Heterotypic
Arum syriacum Blume, Rumphia 1: 119 (1836), nom. illeg.
Arum spectabile Schott, Oesterr. Bot. Wochenbl. 7: 175 (1857).
Arum liepoldtii Schott, Prodr. Syst. Aroid.: 77 (1860).
Arum philistaeum Kotschy ex Schott, Prodr. Syst. Aroid.: 79 (1860).
Arum cyprium Schott, Bonplandia (Hannover) 9: 368 (1861).
Arum dioscoridis f. guttatum Engl. in A.L.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 2: 584 (1879).
Arum dioscoridis var. spectabile (Schott) Engl. in A.L.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 2: 584 (1879).
Arum dioscoridis var. syriacum Engl. in A.L.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 2: 584 (1879).
Arum pumilum Kotschy ex Engl. in A.L.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 2: 586 (1879), pro syn.
Arum spectabile var. liepoldtii (Schott) Nyman, Consp. Fl. Eur.: 754 (1882).
Arum dioscoridis f. atropurpureum Hruby, Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève, sér. 2, 4: 156 (1912).
Arum dioscoridis f. confluens Hruby, Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève, sér. 2, 4: 156 (1912).
Arum dioscoridis f. punctatum Hruby, Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève, sér. 2, 4: 156 (1912).
Arum dioscoridis f. viridulum Hruby, Bull. Soc. Bot. Genève, sér. 2, 4: 156 (1912).
Arum dioscoridis var. cyprium (Schott) Engl., Pflanzenr., IV, 23F: 73 (1920).
Arum dioscoridis var. liepoldtii (Schott) Engl., Pflanzenr., IV, 23F: 73 (1920).
Arum dioscoridis var. philistaeum (Kotschy ex Schott) Engl., Pflanzenr., IV, 23F: 73 (1920).
Arum dioscoridis var. punctatum (Hruby) Engl., Pflanzenr., IV, 23F: 72 (1920).
Arum dioscoridis var. viridulum (Hruby) Engl., Pflanzenr., IV, 23F: 72 (1920).
Arum eggeri Barbey ex Engl., Pflanzenr., IV, 23F: 74 (1920), pro syn.
Arum dioscoridis var. luschanii R.R.Mill, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 41: 46 (1983).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Western Asia
Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Lebanon-Syria, Palestine (Israel, Jordan), Turkey.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Sibthorp, J. & Smith, J.E. 1816. Florae Graecae Prodromus, sive Plantarum omnium enumeratio, quas in provinciis aut insulis Graeciae invenit Johannes Sibthorp, M.D. Vol. II(2), pp. 211–422. London: Richard Taylor. BHL Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2024. Arum dioscoridis in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2024 Jun 11. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2024. Arum dioscoridis. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 11 Jun 2024.
International Plant Names Index. 2024. Arum dioscoridis. Published online. Accessed: 11 Jun 2024. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2024. World Plants. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the World Flora. . Arum dioscoridis. Accessed: 11 Jun 2024.
Euro+Med 2006 onwards: Arum dioscoridis in Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published online. Accessed: 2024 Jun 11.

Arum dioscoridis, commonly known as the Spotted arum, is a plant of the arum family (Araceae).

The plant was described by James Edward Smith in Flora Graeca (1816). The species is named after the ancient Greek physician and botanist Pedanius Dioscorides.

The plant is native to forests in the east of the Mediterranean in southern Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and the Middle East.
Description

In winter appear green, arrow-shaped leaves. In spring, the short-stalked inflorescence appears consisting of a black, rod-shaped spadix surrounded by a yellow-green, purple-mottled brown or even purple bract (spathe). The color pattern of the spathe is variable, and multiple varieties have been described based on different patterns.[1]

The female flowers are located at the bottom of the spadix; above are the male flowers; and the top is a sterile area (appendix). The spadix emits a pungent smell that attracts flies as pollinators.
Cultivation

The plant can be grown as an ornamental plant in rock gardens Mediterranean regions. In the Benelux, the plant can be grown indoors as a pot plant. The plant can be propagated by seeding.
References

Boyce, Peter (1993). The Genus Arum. London: HMSO. ISBN 0-11-250085-4.