ACORUS. Sweet flag. East and Southeast Asia. These are unusual members of the arum, or calla, family, resembling more a grass or narrow leaved iris than a calla. They produce compact crowns of shoots, each one a fan of narrow, flattened leaves. The leaves contain sweetly fragrant oils with traditional medicinal uses (unfortunately one has to crush a leaf to enjoy the fragrance, but many more will take its place). The odd flower clusters, each borne with a narrow erect spathe, blend with the leaves and are easy to miss. These are plants of moist places, useful as bold accent plants around pools or anywhere moisture accumulates, in sun or shade (some variegated forms, however, must be shaded). They thrive in a variety of non-alkaline soils with moderate to regular watering. Hardy to 0^oF. or less.

calamus ‘Variegatus’. A. calamus is the giant of the genus, potentially as much as five feet high though probably three feet or less in this selection. It resembles a tall iris, with narrow fans of flat, pointed leaves, each up to an inch broad. They are bright green in background, with cream and yellow stripes. It dies to the ground in winter in colder climates.

gramineus. This is an evergreen species, usually quite profuse in growth, with narrow, arching leaves usually 18" or less in height. The leaves are quite shiny on their upper surface. The selection ‘Variegatus’ (possibly the ancient cultivar ‘Argenteostriatus’) has 8-12" leaves with creamy yellow margins. ‘Masamune’ is similar but more profuse in growth, with possibly an even brighter contrast between the centers and margins of the leaves. ‘Ogon’ is also an exceptionally profuse grower, with golden yellow leaf margins. ‘Pusillus’ is a miniature form with dark green 3-5" leaves. These are decorative plants for poolside gardens, moist or dry shade gardens, and containers.