The "Fun" of Collecting Aroids -By Thomas McAdam, 



New 

 Jersey 



THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES FOR THOSE WHO LIKE COMPLETE COLLECTIONS — NOT 

 THE USUAL DRY-AS-DUST BOTANY — FRIENDLY "TIPS" THAT MAY SAVE YOUR DOLLARS 



AN ENTHUSIASTIC reader of The 

 Garden Magazine in Massachu- 

 setts, who signs himself "Collector", has 

 begged us to give " a list of the hardy 

 members of the arum family, with special 

 reference to those suitable for peat gar- 

 dens. " Such a request would have been 

 hard to comply with a few years ago be- 

 cause there was no available list of the 

 cultivated genera in any given family. 

 But now we have a convenient list in the 

 preface to the fourth edition of Bailey's 

 Cyclopedia. So Mr. Collector will please 

 brace himself for a lengthy reply. 



There seem to be four main types of beau- 

 ty among'the "aroids," by which I mean any 

 members of the enormous family Araceae. 



First, we have the showy foliage-plants, 

 such as the elephant's ear, the fancy 

 caladiums and anthuriums. 



Second, there are those weird dark 

 flowers which attract an uncanny set 

 of winged creature by emitting an odor 

 of carrion. Entomologists and other 

 scientists find them instructive but the 

 ordinary person needs a nose guard. 

 The most famous of this class are Amor- 

 phophallus Titanum, a titanic flower six 

 feet long with an odor that smites and 

 withers at twenty yards; and the better 

 known A. Rivieri, with flowers half the 

 size but equally objectionable. 



Third, come the aroids with genuinely 

 beautiful flowers, of which the florist's 

 calla {Richardia jEthiopica) is justly the 

 most popular. 



Jack-in-the-pulpit cut open to show a staminate 

 flower 



I am sorry, Mr. Collector, but all the 

 good plants above-named are tender. 

 Of the thirty-six genera of cultivated aroids 

 only seven contain hardy species. Ne\"er- 

 theless, the hardy aroids are of considerable 

 interest to anyone who is fortunate enough 

 to possess a peat garden or water garden 

 or a bit of swamp land which he does not 

 know how to treat. So let us see how you 

 can best spend your money. 



THE ARUMS 



Ten to one you want to buy arums, be- 

 cause the catalogues devote much more 

 space to these than to all the other hardy 

 aroids and doubtless sell ten times as 

 many. I have before me a Dutch cata- 

 logue that offers ig kinds. In my judg- 

 ment, however, they are all "undesirable 

 citizens." 



In the first place I would cut out all 

 that have a predatory odor. As the 

 catalogues are supernaturally silent on 

 this point and you might judge from the 

 prices that these arums had a precious 

 bouquet, I must name the worst offenders. 



Beware then of Arum Dracunculus or 

 "dragon arum," the correct name of 

 which is Dracunculus vulgaris, for it gives 

 a faithful imitation of a defunct rodent. 

 It is native to the Mediterranean region 

 but is supposed to be hardy. I know 

 it only from living with it in a greenhouse 

 for a few minutes and "once is enough 

 for me." 



Also, Mr. Collector, I would advise 

 you to get out your favorite bulb cata- 

 logue and run your blackest pencil through 

 these names: Arum crinitum, or the 

 "dragon's mouth." The correct name of 

 this monster is Helicodiceros muscivorns, 

 ?-o named from its fly-devouring propensi- 

 ties but it also tempts collectors under the 

 name of Dracunculus crinitus. I know 

 whereof I write when I say nothing about 

 its odor. I am as silent as the catalogues 

 about it, but possibly for a different reason. 



In the second place, Mr. Collector, I 

 rule out all other arums because they 

 would not be hardy in New England. 

 As far north as New York they might be 

 hardy if planted in a sunny border of 

 light soil and covered in winter with ashes 

 or other protective material. The most 

 famous of this bunch are: 



(i) The "Monarch of the East" {Sauro- 

 matum guttatiim or Arum cornutum). 

 The tubers of this are sold by legitimate 

 dealers but they are also dearly belo^-ed 

 by fakers and sellers of curios because 

 they will bloom without air or water in 

 a warm room. 



(2) A little finer cat of the same breed 

 known as Arum aristatum, which the 

 boomers say has a "brilliant red spathe" 

 and is "pleasantly scented." 

 265 



(3) A famous old plant of the Medi- 

 terranean region known as Arum Dios- 

 coridis which is remarkable for the lens- 

 shaped purple spots on the spathe. If 

 you have a fancy for growing such things 

 in pots you can buy different varieties 

 of this under such names as A. Syriacum, 

 Cyprium and spectabile. 



(4) A pious humbug known as "Solo- 

 mon's lily," the "black calla," the "sacred 

 black arum from Lebanon," and Arum 

 sanctum. Its correct name is Arum Pa/ces- 

 tinum. It does really come from the 



A pistillate specimen of Jack-in-the-pulpit 



Holy Land and it does really have velvety 

 black flowers which the catalogues say 

 are "pleasantly scented." Thousands of 

 nice old ladies buy black callas and get 

 pleasure out of them. Personally, I love 

 the old ladies, but my taste for black callas 

 has not been sufficiently trained. 



In short, Mr. Collector, my advice 

 about the genus Arum is: Forget it. 



THE MOST BE.A.UTIFUL H.ARDY AROID 



What, then, is my standard of beauty 

 among the hardy aroids? Wliy the Jack- 

 in-the-pulpit, to be sure! Because it is 

 American? Oh, no. 



The showy part of an aroid flower is 

 the spathe — the part which in this case 

 suggests a pulpit. Therefore the showiest 

 aroids are the ones that have the largest 

 and brightest-colored spathes. But 

 the expression or spirit of the flower is 

 determined chiefly by the attitude these 

 spathes strike. The spathe of the florist's 

 calla stands up straight, or nearly so, and 

 is undoubtedly the most decorative. The 

 spathe of an anthurium is generally bent 

 back and the effect is grotesque. The 

 spathe of Jack-in-the-pulpit is rolled for- 



