Don’t purchase arums
THE Kingsburgh branch of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) and Amanzimtoti Conservancy urges the public not to purchase arum lilies from hawkers at street corners.
“Last Thursday, 14 November at about 6.45pm, a lily seller was arrested by Ezemvelo Parks authorities on the corner of Riverside Road. It is as illegal to purchase these flowers, as it is illegal to sell them. We would like the public to be aware of this,” said Gill Van Wyk of the Amanzimtoti Conservancy alien plant invader watchdog.
Chief horticulturist at Durban Botanic Gardens, Janet Gates said arums are indigenous and the flowers are being removed from the wild and bush.
“The law states that you may not remove wild flowers, seeds or plants from the wild without a permit. When flowers are removed, there is no chance for the plants to produce seeds and reproduce. This then limits the size of the population in situ and therefore puts the population under threat,” she said.
