Lords-and-ladies flower in April and May and favour shady habitats
Word of Mouth
Folk names for plants and flowers
THE ARUM LILY, OR LORDS-AND-LADIES, IS among the most familiar woodland plants in the British Isles, and one of the most curious. Its shiny leaves begin growing quite early in spring, and have arrow-like points. These curl to form a hood or sheath around an erect purple-brown spike, called the spadix. The spadix is actually a cluster of many small flowers, and when fully developed releases an unpleasant scent like stale urine, as well as giving off heat. Tiny flies are attracted, thus pollinating the plant.
Another common name for this botanical oddity is cuckoo pint. ‘Pint’ is old slang for penis, and you can probably work out why the plant brought this to mind. Many of its other alternative names such as ‘Jack-in-thepulpit’ and ‘soldier-in-a-sentry-box’ are also double-entendres. As BBC Wildlife columnist Nick Baker wryly observes in his book British Wildlife, its traditional names contain more innuendo than a Carry On film.