The introduction of one rare plant-Arum

　　Arum is an old world genus found from western Europe, right across central Europe and central Asia as far east as Afghanistan. To the south it reaches North Africa and Israel. The genus is instantly recognisable, despite varying in colour from pale lime green through yellow, rusty red, deep purple and black.

　Cultivation is simple in a well-drained loam in sun or very light shade. Many leaf up in the autumn and overwinter in the green state, so siting is worth thinking about carefully in cold areas.
Those offered are almost all hardy here, out in the garden and in time they can become very deep seated and they can sit below freezing level, making them hardy even in very cold areas. As with most Aroids they are not cold hardy, in pots where they can freeze through.
Arum apulum
Deep-green, unspotted leaves and a lovely, large spathe which is deep purple-red inside, toning to paler violet at the very centre, around a deep purple-red spadix.
This makes a delightful change to other dark flowered species, as the colouring is a little lighter, and well contrasted but especially as the inflorescence is only gently scented of stables and not the decomposing dung smell, so common in the genus.
Grows readily here outside in a south facing raised bed, in neutral loam, unprotected summer or winter.
A rare offering of this attractive Italian endemic, which is found only in central Apulia. There it seeks refuge from the intensity of the Mediterranean climate in light woodland, however shade is not needed in cultivation in the UK. Considered critically endangered in the wild, these are cultivated tubers.Photograph Angelo Porcelli with permission

Arum byzantinum
Rare in cultivation and even rarer than the name which has been wildly misapplied in horticulture where several forms of the totally dissimilar italicum are wrongly attributed to this species.
Slender, whitish spathes, with a purplish basal stain, wrap around strongly club-shaped spadices of rich brown-purple.
Restricted to a small area of the Balkan Peninsula between Bulgaria and Istanbul where it apparently grows in the same damp soils which suit it well in cultivation. Few.
Arum creticum
Plain green leaves and superb primrose yellow spathes with a butter-yellow spadix, all with a pleasant rose scent. This is the brightest coloured Arum and one of the few with a nice smell!
Fully hardy here and an excellent garden plant for a sunny site, in a well-drained fertile soil. Eastern Mediterranean.