ARUM LILY

(Zantedeschia aethiopica)

(Photos: E. Cousins; flower; a patch at Deep Creek Conservation Park.)

You don’t see many of this weed at Cape Jervis, because it likes more moisture than Cape Jervis provides. It is a pest though, in many conservation parks and creek beds nearby. It stands out with its glossy, dark green foliage and large white flowers. The flowers are funnel-shaped, with a side split, and held high on long, hollow stems. The bright yellow flower spike (spadix) in the funnel centre is part male, part female. This matures into a seed head. The weed is spread by these seeds, and also by disturbance of the rhizomes under the ground. Leaves are large and heart-shaped. Although often grown as a garden plant, it can be toxic to animals and humans; fatalities in both have been recorded [1]

1. http://www.weeds.org.au/cgi-bin/weedident.cgi?tpl=plant.tpl&card=H10