Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum)

 

I guess many of us struggle with Latin specific names. They are so much harder to remember than English common names.

Specific names are important however and this plant really shows why that is so. This is called lords and ladies in my standard reference guide but it is also known as wild arum as well as cuckoo-pint. Even worse, it is also known as the arum lily! It is, however, specifically known as Arum maculatum.

Local English names can cause so much confusion. With birds there is the 'official' list of English names but not so with flora. The specific name is international, everywhere in the world where this plant occurs it will be specifically known as Arum maculatum.

So Arum maculatum is in flower along our hedgerows and woodlands in spring. It is quite common around the roadsides and waysides in the Sidmouth area.

So call it what you will, my preference is wild arum, my field guide calls it lords and ladies, but we can at least agree on Arum maculatum.