arum is a genus in the Araceae family. Although often called the arum lily, it is not a true lily. A handsome plant, the white arum is known as the funeral lily. This is most likely due to its popularity among undertakers and their florist colleagues, but could just as well be due to the fact that all parts of it, and other arums, are toxic. Arums are not generally eaten; they contain calcium oxalate, irritating the mouth and throat, sometimes acutely, when ingested. (And their perfume is repellent.) There is, however, an exception; in Israel and Jordan the plant known as luf (from the Arabic lûf for arum), which is Arum palaestinum, is gathered for its leaves, mostly in the early part of the season. Its taste is earthy but it was evidently embraced by local populations (there is reference to it in the Mishnah) from very early times, perhaps as a cleansing greenstuff, as with bistort and other wild foods in Britain. To neutralize the oxalate, the leaves are stripped of their ribs, they are shredded, then boiled for some time with plenty of lemon juice or other acid (some advocate sorrel leaves). Abbie Rosner (2012) has an instructive account.
