plural arums
: any of a genus (Arum of the family Araceae, the arum family) of Eurasian perennial plants that have arrow-shaped leaves and tiny flowers clustered on a spadix partly enclosed by a spathe and that produce the toxin calcium oxalate in their tissues
Arums, which are relatives of Jack-in-the-pulpits, have arrow-shaped leaves. They also are waxy and dark green though with silver or gray splotches of color.—
David Robson
David Robson… Annual event includes display and sale of philodendrons, arums and other members of the Araceae family of plants, commonly known as aroids …—The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
broadly
: a plant of the arum family : aroid
Technically, calla lily flowers are tiny and located on the yellow column. … This flower structure is common among arums. Other well-known arums include … Anthurium and Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). —Dan Gill
Dan Gill Examples of arum in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Another plant in the same family follows a similar strategy; the aptly named dead-horse arum emits a smell similar to that of a rotting corpse, tricking potential pollinators to come closer for a taste.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2023
Italian arum weed in my yard is worse than last year, even with extensive weeding.
—oregonlive, 26 Mar. 2023
Titan arum is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where it is threatened.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 4 Nov. 2022
Leaves like Titan arum are green because of chlorophyll, the one chemical that’s responsible for the green in every single leaf on every type of plant.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 4 Nov. 2022
Where and when to see the Cincinnati Zoo's corpse flower With the scientific name Titan arum, the zoo's social media followers have lovingly nicknamed the plant Morticia.
—Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 20 July 2022
Arum italicum or Italian arum is a cool season shade perennial.
—Janet Carson, Arkansas Online, 20 Dec. 2021
Blackberry, tree-of-heaven, invasive knotweeds, garlic mustard, lesser celandine, Italian arum and horsetail are some examples that are difficult to control.
—oregonlive, 3 June 2021
If the arum is located across a larger area, herbicides are an option but even in strong formulations will mostly just set it back rather than kill it, due to its thick waxy leaves and multitude of bulbs.
—oregonlive, 27 Mar. 2021
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Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 20 Oct. 2023
Italian arum weed in my yard is worse than last year, even with extensive weeding.
—oregonlive, 26 Mar. 2023
Titan arum is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, where it is threatened.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 4 Nov. 2022
Leaves like Titan arum are green because of chlorophyll, the one chemical that’s responsible for the green in every single leaf on every type of plant.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 4 Nov. 2022
Where and when to see the Cincinnati Zoo's corpse flower With the scientific name Titan arum, the zoo's social media followers have lovingly nicknamed the plant Morticia.
—Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 20 July 2022
Arum italicum or Italian arum is a cool season shade perennial.
—Janet Carson, Arkansas Online, 20 Dec. 2021
Blackberry, tree-of-heaven, invasive knotweeds, garlic mustard, lesser celandine, Italian arum and horsetail are some examples that are difficult to control.
—oregonlive, 3 June 2021
If the arum is located across a larger area, herbicides are an option but even in strong formulations will mostly just set it back rather than kill it, due to its thick waxy leaves and multitude of bulbs.
—oregonlive, 27 Mar. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near arum
Cite this Entry
“Arum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arum. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
arum
noun
ar·um
ˈar-əm 
ˈer-
: any of a family of plants (as the jack-in-the-pulpit or the skunk cabbage) having heart-shaped or sword-shaped leaves and flowers in a fleshy spike enclosed in a leafy covering
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