Arum lilies are in the full bloom around Cape Town and it is tempting to buy bunches of these elegant flowers. However, it is illegal to pick arum lilies 50m from a road and you need permission from the land owner. To sell these flowers on the side of the road, the seller needs a hawker’s licence (from the City of Cape Town) and a flora seller permit (from Cape Nature). Most arums for sale in our city are picked and sold illegally.
Arum lily flowers often provide shelter to arum lily frogs. These little frogs, which are found only in the Western Cape and nowhere else in the world, hide in the flowers during the day, using the pollen to camouflage themselves.
Please don’t pick arum lily flowers or buy them from the road side – you might end up taking a frog home with you!
