Arum maculatum
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 Cuckoo-pint or Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum) is a common arum in British woodlands
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| Arum maculatum L. |
Arum maculatum is a member the plant family Araceae. It is a common plant in north temperate Europe and is also known as Lord and Ladies and Cuckoo pint.
The purple spotted leaves appear in the spring followed by the flowers borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The purple spadix is partially enclosed in, a pale green spathe or leaf-like hood.
The root-tube may be very big and is used to store starch. In mature specimens the tuber may be as much as 400 mm below ground level.
All parts of the plant can produce allergic reactions in many people and the plant should be handled with care. Many small rodents appear to find the spadix particularly attractive and it is common to find examples of the plant with much of the spadix eaten away. The spadix produces heat and probably scent as the flowers mature and it may be this that attracts the rodents.
[edit] References
- Arum maculatum (TSN 185363). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on September 25, 2006.
[edit] External links
Media on Arum maculatum in the Wikicommons.
