Lords-and-ladies

Arum maculatum

  • Where it lives:

  • Non native species

About

An early flowering plant, lords-and-ladies can be seen in April and May. It is a shade-loving plant of woodlands and hedgerows, and is particularly distinctive as it displays a pale green sheath surrounding a purple or yellow 'spadix' (a spike of tiny flowers on a fleshy stem). This spadix eventually produces an upright stalk of bright red berries that is conspicuous among the leaf litter.

How to identify

Lords-and-ladies has large, arrow-shaped leaves, and leaf-like flower heads that curl around a long inner spike carrying tiny, yellow flowers. This spike eventually produces an upright stalk of bright red berries.

Did you know?

Lords-and-ladies has many other common names, arising from its rather strange look, but 'Cuckoo-pint' is perhaps one of the most widely used.
The Wildlife Trusts manage many woodland nature reserves sympathetically for the benefit of all kinds of wildlife. A mix of coppicing, scrub-cutting, ride maintenance and non-intervention all help woodland wildlife to thrive.