Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Portland arrowroot
Arum maculatum

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A tuber forming plant. The roots are thick and like tubers. It grows 25 cm high and spreads 20-40 cm wide. The leaves are on long stems. The leaves are arrowhead shaped. They are 20 cm long. The flowers have a purple-pink spadix or stalk in the centre surrounded by a pale green spathe. The fruit are orange-red.

It should not be eaten in large quantities. There are 12-26 Arum species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate climate plant. It grows in ditches, hedgerows and often close to old buildings. It suits hardiness zones 6-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Albania, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain (country/location of origin), Czech Republic, Europe, France, Greece, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Middle East, Myanmar, North Africa, Portugal, SE Asia, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye

How it is used for food

The starch of the root is used for adding to bread flour after removing the acrid element. The running rootstock is gathered, dried and ground to a powder then mixed with the flour of barley or wheat. The roots are cooked and eaten. CAUTION: The leaves and berries are poisonous. (Presumably due to oxalates) The leaves have been eaten after they are dried, then boiled. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat.

Edible parts

Roots, leaves, corm

How it is grown

It can be grown by dividing the tuber.

Its other names

Local names

Adder's root, Aron plamaty, Bobbins, Kozlac pjegavi, Nifik, Pegasti kačnik, Snakeshead, Starch-root, Wake robin, Yilan ekmegi, Yilan yastigi, Zmijsko grozje

Synonyms

Arum vulgare Lam.; and several others