Arum Lily - a real problem plant

Calla Lily, White Arum Lily, Lily of the Nile, Egyptian Lily, Jack in the Pulpit, Florist’s Calla, Garden Calla, Pig Lily, Trumpet Lily, St Joseph’s Arum Lily, Funeral Flower, Death Lily are just some of the common names of this dreadful weed.

Arum is a large genus of flowering plants originating mainly from South Africa. It is thought they arrived in Australia with early settlers in the mid-19^th century. They were present in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 1858. The Arum Lily was a standard garden specimen and has a history of being a popular funeral flower.

Arum Lily populations in the wild are the result of escaping from gardens and are now an environmental weed found in wetlands, roadsides, forests, and urban reserves in all states of Australia. The Arum Lily, Zantedeschia aethiopica, is a listed environmental weed in the Appendix C of the Baw Baw Shire Weed Management Strategy 2020-2025. The Arum Lily is a widespread, invasive weed inour district – not to mention: Agapanthus, Angled Onion, Blackberry, Hemlock, English Ivy, Sweet Pittosporum, Tree Tobacco, et al.

1-Longwarry  2-Alex Goudie Park  3-Flower

The Arum Lily likes to grow in swampy, degraded, neglected areas where it completely outgrows native species. In places it forms stands so dense that it blocks the flow of creeks and drains. All parts of the Arum plant are toxic to humans and stock.

Although rare, there are cases of humans dying from Arum Lily ingestion. The plant contains high lvels of calcium oxalate a common component of kidney stones, and coniine, a toxin that inhibits the nervous system leading to suffocation. 

1-Roberts Ct Bush  2-Bellbird Park  3-Soccer Fields

Despite the significant detrimental effects on the environment by this weed, the Arum Lily is still sold in nurseries, is a popular garden plant, and is used extensively in the florist industry.

 “One man’s flower is another man’s weed”