''Biarum'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of flowering plants in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). A ...

. It is composed of plants that are native to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

), and

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> ''Biarum'' are often found growing in rock crevices and graveled soil composed largely of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The leaves of ''Biarum'' can be similar to

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

or even oval. Their corms are spherical and the plants as a whole tend to be small. Many ''Biarum'' are quite similar in appearance to ''

Arum ''Arum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Europe, northern Africa, and western and central Asia, with the highest species diversity in the Mediterranean region. Frequently called arum lilies, they are not closely ...

s.'' To flower ''Biarum'' required a dry rest period during summer. Their

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

tend to grow close to the ground and produce an extremely intense and

unpleasant odor An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds that are generally found in low concentrations that humans and animals can perceive via their sense ...

. The fruits produced tend to be

camouflaged Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

so as to resemble stones. It's not entirely known how they are dispersed, but one idea is that they have evolved to avoid seed dispersal since doing so in such inhospitable environments might not be conducive to its reproduction.Bown, Deni (2000). ''Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family''. Timber Press. . ;Species #'' Biarum aleppicum'' J.Thiébaut - Syria #'' Biarum angustatum'' (Hook.f.) N.E.Br. - Syria, Israel #'' Biarum auraniticum'' Mouterde - Syria #'' Biarum bovei'' Blume - Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran #'' Biarum carduchorum'' (Schott) Engl. - Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Iran #'' Biarum carratracense'' (Willk.) Font Quer - southern Spain #'' Biarum crispulum'' (Schott) Engl. - Turkey, Syria #'' Biarum davisii'' Turrill - Crete #'' Biarum dispar'' (Schott) Talavera - southern Spain, Sardinia, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco #'' Biarum ditschianum'' Bogner & P.C.Boyce - Turkey, Kastellorizo Island in Greece #'' Biarum eximium'' (Schott & Kotschy) Engl. - Turkey, Jordan #'' Biarum fraasianum'' (Schott) Nyman - Greece #'' Biarum kotschyi'' (Schott) B.Mathew ex Riedl - Turkey #'' Biarum marmarisense'' (P.C.Boyce) P.C.Boyce - Turkey, Symi Island in Greece #'' Biarum mendax'' P.C.Boyce - southern Spain, Alto Alentejo Province in Portugal #'' Biarum olivieri'' Blume - Egypt, Israel #'' Biarum pyrami'' (Schott) Engl. - Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan #'' Biarum rhopalospadix'' K.Koch - Greece #'' Biarum straussii'' Engl. - Iran, Iraq #'' Biarum syriacum'' (Spreng.) Riedl - Turkey, Syria #'' Biarum tenuifolium'' (L.) Schott - Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Albania, Yugoslavia, Turkey

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2660924 Aroideae Araceae genera