About
Arisarum vulgare subsp. vulgare is a tuberous perennial that reaches a height of 15 cm. Its leaves are arrow-shaped and exhibit a grey-green hue, occasionally displaying mottling in greyish-purple. From winter through early spring, it produces small, hooded spathes that can grow up to 5 cm in length. These spathes are white-green with stripes of brown or purple, enclosing dark brown spadices.
About the genus
Arisarum consists of compact perennial plants that grow from tubers or rhizomes. They form dense clusters of elongated, heart- or arrow-shaped foliage and bear small flowers enclosed in distinctive hooded spathes.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H2
Plant details
- Plant type
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Habit
- Clump forming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.1-0.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Rock garden, Patio and container plants
- Native to
- Mediterranean
- Toxicity
- Humans/Pets: Harmful if eaten, skin/eye irritant. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Plant in full sun in well-drained soil that is dry in summer; will tolerate short spells of temperatures down to -5°C if well mulched, otherwise grow in an alpine house
- Pruning
- No pruning required
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed sown in containers in a cold frame in spring, or by division in autumn or winter
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free