A pale hood around a purple club, later replaced by a spike of orange-red berries in the leaf litter
Lords-and-ladies — Arum maculatum, or cuckoo-pint.
Nature · Wildflowers & flowers
Lords-and-ladies
Native · flowers Apr–May, berries in autumn · woodland and hedgerows
Arum maculatum — Araceae
Lords-and-ladies, also called cuckoo-pint, is an arum of shady hedgerows and woods. Its arrow-shaped leaves appear early, its pale green hood shelters a purple or yellow club, and it is followed by a spike of bright orange-red berries in autumn. Its flower is a fly trap and the berries are toxic.
How to spot them
- ▸Glossy, arrow-shaped leaves, sometimes spotted with dark blotches, appearing in early spring
- ▸A pale green hood (spathe) wrapped around a club (spadix) that is purple in some plants and yellow in others
- ▸A spike of bright orange-red berries on a bare stalk in late summer and autumn, after the leaves die back
- ▸Look-alike: wild garlic and young leaves of lords-and-ladies both appear early in woods — crush a leaf; wild garlic smells of garlic and has lance-shaped leaves
- ▸Berries look edible but are toxic to people; the whole plant contains irritants
How to know it
This flower traps midges and flies for pollination, releasing a urine-like odour from its club
Lords-and-ladies.
Old Kentish names for this arum include 'Kitty-come-down-the-lane-jump-up-and-kiss-me'
Lords-and-ladies — Plantlife lists many bawdy names.
Starch from its roots stiffened Elizabethan ruffs and was also used in laundry
Lords-and-ladies.
This woodland arum warms its club while in flower, helping to disperse the scent that draws in its pollinators
Lords-and-ladies.
Bright orange berries in autumn on a bare spike tempt children but are toxic to humans
Lords-and-ladies.
Quick-fire facts
- •Family Araceae; the genus Arum gives the name to all arums
- •Plantlife: flowers in April and May, fruits in autumn; common throughout most of the UK except north and central Scotland
- •Flower designed to attract flies for pollination, with a club shaped spike releasing a urine-like odour
- •Berries are toxic to humans, like many wild berries
- •Wildlife Trusts: up to 50 cm tall; the club is surrounded by a pale green sheath, and the plant is popularly called cuckoo-pint
- •Many folk names have bawdy associations, from the phallic club within the hood
- •Root starch was used to stiffen ruffs and as laundry starch, and a 'Portland sago' was made from the roots
- •The spadix warms up during flowering, helping to volatilise the scent that attracts insects
Drill it — 6 cards
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Sources
- Plantlife — Lords-and-ladies
- The Wildlife Trusts — Lords-and-ladies