Article

The common European Arum maculatum L. is an acknowledged medicinal plant. Although the uses of the plant are widely acknowledged, little is known about the actual exploitation potential in natural and cultivated conditions. We aim to address this question. The first step in knowing if a resource is exploitable is checking where the plant is present. In this study, we first gathered information based on a critical revision of the deposited herbarium samples of genus Arum L. in the national Bulgarian herbaria. Secondly, we organized this information in a database, which was used to construct UTM-grid maps of the current known distribution of the taxa in Bulgaria. Thirdly, we compiled the presented information on the UTM-grid maps together with our field study data which we collected during the period April – July 2013 by visiting locations known from the literature and from the herbarium vouchers (see above) and checking for the presence of Arum. When considering the potential exploitation of the plant in natural conditions, our preliminary field survey suggests a more limited potential in Bulgaria, when compared to previous investigations. Also, the fact that the proper identification is difficult even to specialists could lead to a serious hazard, since plant collectors may confuse species, and thus may improperly use them. Based on all the mentioned above, it appears that the most appropriate solution for any pharmaceutical exploitation would be to develop a cultivation program