Infloresence of the Arum lily,Zantedeschia aethiopica,growing in Warrandyte,Victoria,Australia. Z. aethiopica is a native of South Africa,grown elsewhere in gardens and commercially due to its large flowers. It now has a wide global distribution as a naturalised weed following escape from gardens. In Western Australia and Victoria,it is a serious environmental weed,as it is toxic to livestock and can infest waterways by means of dispersal of pieces of rhizome and by seed. The picture shows the "flower"; a complex infloresence,consisting of a large (to 25cm long) white open spathe with a central orange spadix. The spadix is the site of the true flowers; at its tip are masses of small orange male flowers. The female flowers are found at the base of the spadix. The flowering period in Australia is long,beginning in June and continuing through until November |