Arums

One of South Africa's exports, the Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) or the common arum lily, 'wit varkoor' or 'intebe' seen en masse around Darling in the Western Cape. Arum lily season is here!

Zantedeschia is named after Professor Zantedeschi, probably Giovanni Zantedeschi, 1773-1846, an Italian physician and botanist, although there is some uncertainty about this.

The name aethiopica is not directly related to Ethiopia. In classical times it meant south of the known world i.e. south of Egypt and Libya.

This lovely plant - one of 8 species native to the Cape - was introduced to Europe very early on, apparently before Jan van Riebeeck had established the refreshment station at the Cape. It is also illustrated in an account of the Royal Garden in Paris in 1664. It was sent as one of the interesting plants of the Cape to Europe by Simon van der Stel some time before 1697.

What an enormous joy to see fields and fields of them, like I did on Friday. France, you can keep your lavender fields. For now.