In the book Aroids, Deni Brown does not address temperature and A. italicum directly, but she says, "The pokerlike spadixes of many aroids, especially in the subfamilies Aroideae and Lasioideae, become distinctly warm to the touch." (p. 58) For some plants the warmth may help to volatilize and disperse odors. For other plants the warmth may make temporarily trapped insects more active so they are more likely to come into contact with pollen so that, when released, they can pollinate other plants.