Arum Italicum

Day 120: During my last walk in the Cowlitz Wildlife area near Mossyrock Dam, I was able to get into areas I'd not patrolled previously for invasives thanks to the blackberries having been mowed. While on my ramble, I found a plant I knew was non-native, and I was fairly certain of its identity, but I wanted to be sure. I confirmed my suspicions with photographs, but what came as a real surprise was its listing as a Class C invasive in the state. Italiam arum (Arum italicum) has been reported in several counties in western Washington (although not in Lewis where I found it), and is considered an agricultural pest. It is poisonous to livestock and in fact may cause skin irritation in susceptible individuals among humans. I went back today armed with a shovel and wearing gloves to handle it, dug out roughly five gallons of the plant. It propagates by means of bulblets, and although I sifted through the soil for anything larger than the tip of my little finger, I am sure that hundred, perhaps even thousands of tiny pea- to pinhead-sized bulbs evaded me. According to authoritative sources, it may take a decade or longer of annual monitoring and treatment before it can be said that it has been eradicated. Once it was sold as a garden plant, but I abandoned any ideas I'd had of transferring it to my yard. All the material went in the bin with the exception of one specimen which is currently in my plant press and will be sent to the Burke Herbarium as the first documented occurrence in Lewis County.