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Arisarum vulgare

Common name:	Friar's Cowl	Family:	Araceae
Author:	Targ-Tozz.	Botanical references:	45, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water[65].
Range:	S. Europe.
Habitat:	Grassy places, open ground[45] and rocky ground[90].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Arum arisarum[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Aaron [E], Arisaro [E], Iarus [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	vulgare = common;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Arales. Arum family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Spain

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf from October to July, in flower in May. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Root.

Root - cooked. The acrid juice should first be removed by thorough and repeated washing leaving behind a nutritious and innoxious residue[2, 105, 177]. Thorough drying or cooking will also destroy any harmful elements of this root[K]. The root is frequently used as an emergency food in times of scarcity, it is about the size of a walnut[2].
One report suggests that the leaves might be edible[177]. If they are they must be well cooked first[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Ground cover.

A good ground-cover plant for a shady place[1].

Cultivation details

Prefers a woodland soil or a sandy loam with leafmould[1]. Grows well in shady rather moist places[1].
A Mediterranean plant, it commences growth in the autumn and, since the leaves are not very hardy, the plant is best grown under protection[90]. It should succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of the country, if grown in a sheltered woodland. The plant is hardy to about -10°c for short periods but should be given a good mulch in the winter[200]. The plant becomes dormant in spring/summer[200].

Propagation

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in a shady part of the greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the spring if this is possible. Sow stored seed in early spring. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse and plant out when dormant in the summer once the tuber has reached a reasonable size.
Division in spring after the plant dies down[1].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Araceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[90] Phillips. R. and Rix. M. Bulbs Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30253-1
Superbly illustrated, it gives brief details on cultivation and native habitat.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

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