Spotted arum
Arum dioscoridis

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A tuber (corm) plant. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 20-30 cm high. The leaves are narrow and spearhead shaped. The leaf blades are pointed. They are 13-45 cm long. The leaf stalks are 50 cm long. The flowers have a bad smell. The leaf bract is constricted. It is pale green. It is sometimes tinged purple on the outside. It is red inside. The flower stalk is fleshy and erect. It is black-purple to dark red. It is 28 cm long.

There are 12-26 Arum species.

Where it is found

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It is frost hardy. It needs full sun. It often grows on rocky slopes and near the edges of streams.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Europe, Greece, Iraq, Jordan, Mediterranean, Middle East, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye

How it is used for food

The roots are cooked and eaten. The roots and leaves are steeped in vinegar and eaten. The leaves are boiled in a stew. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat.

Edible parts

Root, corm, tuber, leaves

How it is grown

Plants are grown from tubers. They are planted 5 cm below the surface. Plants can also be grown from seed. The seed should be planted fresh after separating from the fleshy fruit.

Its other names

Local names

Luf murakkatm, Sarmalik, Yilan bicagi, Yilan ekmegi, Yilan pancari

Synonyms

Arum dioscoridis var. dioscoridis; Arum dioscoridis var. liepoldtii (Schott) Engl.; Arum dioscoridis var. luschanii R.R. Mill; Arum dioscoridis var. spectabile (Schott) Engl.; Arum eggeri Barbey ex Engl. [Invalid]; Arum liepoldtii Schott; Arum spectabile Schott; Arum spectabile var. liepoldtii (Schott) Nyman;