Protect your pets and your family from Arum Lily!
A beautiful, but dangerous and vigorous weed. Arum lily is also commonly known as death lily as it is toxic to stock, pets and humans, causing swelling of the mouth, and throat, stomach pain, diarrhea and vomiting (call the national poison center if you have ingested any 0800 764 766).
Arum lily is tricky to control as it spreads via seed as well as underground tubers - even a tuber as small as 2cm can produce 25-30 offshoots (known as rhizomes) a year!
Long-lived it forms dense patches excluding other plants. It is very adaptable to different environments can tolerate wet, wind, salt, hot to cold, most soil types and moderate shade, and is drought-resistant once established. Stock avoid it as it is poisonous, allowing it to gradually dominate grazed sites, preventing establishment of native plant seedlings. It is unlikely to poison native fauna.
If you want to try removing it from your property, cut down the tops and dig out as much of the tuber (root) as possible, disposing of tubers carefully. Glyphosate (Roundup) is not effective on Arum lilies.
References:
Comments