Flowers in Israel: Palestine Arum

Arum palaestinum, Palestine Arum,
Hebrew: לוף ארצישראלי, Arabic: اللوف الفلسطيني


Scientific name:		Arum palaestinum Boiss.
Common name:		Palestine Arum
Hebrew name:		לוף ארצישראלי
Arabic name:		اللوف الفلسطيني
Family:		Araceae, לופיים


Life form:		Geophyte
Stems:		20-60 cm tall
Leaves:		Rosette, entire
Flowers:		Purple
Fruits / pods:		Cluster of red-orange berries
Flowering Period:		March, April
Habitat:		Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name:

Arum. The name “Aron,” with the Greek termination, has been used in the most ancient times, having been applied by Hippocrates (c.460 – c.377 BCE), Theophrastus (370 – about 285 BCE), Dioscorides (ca. 40 – ca.90 CE) and Pliny (23 – 79 CE), but by the latter with the Latin termination (Arum).

palaestinum, from Palestine.
The Hebrew word: לןף, luf, from Aramaic: לופא, Lufa, Arabic: לופ, lup.

The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810 – 1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.

See the list of Medicinal herbs in Israel, the parts used and their medical uses to treat various diseases.