Native to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, Arum italicum works on an inverted calendar. The arrow-shaped foliage, deep glossy green with silver-gray patterning, emerges in late September or October and grows through winter when everything else is bare. The creamy white hooded spathes appear in April and May, their central spadix carrying the scent of stale urine — a strategy aimed at the flies that pollinate them rather than at human appreciation. By the time summer arrives the foliage withers, and clusters of orangish-red berries persist on bare stems through August before the whole cycle begins again. The cultivars with strong white variegation are the most planted, and with good reason: the leaf markings are genuinely striking against dark soil or stone.

It spreads readily from corms that multiply underground, and once established it is very difficult to remove — manual extraction is complicated by deep roots, and it is largely unresponsive to herbicides. On the West Coast and in the Mid-Atlantic, it is considered invasive. In gardens where it can be kept contained, however, it provides winter interest that few other plants match. Growing 12 to 18 inches tall, it suits borders, shade gardens, and cottage plantings where its winter presence fills an otherwise empty moment. All parts of the plant can cause skin irritation, so handling requires gloves.