Arum maculatum L.
(Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesArum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
GenusArum (arums)
FamilyARACEAE (lords-and-ladies)
OrderALISMATALES (pond plants)
ClassMAGNOLIOPSIDA (flowering plants)
PhylumTRACHEOPHYTA (vascular plants)
KingdomPLANTAE (plants)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies) :
1: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
16 May 2006 OSGR: SU47 51° 30’ N, 1° 20’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
in flower at roadside . Photos: Nail varnish peels to show surface microstructures of spathe and spadix
Image 1: Spadix - surface structure - microscope low magnificationImage 2: Spadix - surface structure - microscope low magnification (2)Image 3: Spadix - surface structure - microscope low magnification (3)Image 4: Spadix - surface structure - microscope low magnification (4)Image 5: Spathe - inner surface structure - microscope low magnificationImage 6: Spathe - inner surface structure - microscope low magnification (2)Image 7: Spathe - inner surface structure - microscope low magnification (3)Image 8: Spathe - outer surface structure - microscope low magnificationImage 9: Spathe - outer surface structure - microscope low magnification (2)Image 10: Spathe - outer surface structure - microscope low magnification (3)
2: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
13 May 2006 OSGR: SU67 51° 30’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
. Photos: Nail varnish peels of spathe surface
Image 1: Spathe - inner surface - microscope low magnificationImage 2: Spathe - inner surface - microscope low magnification (2)Image 3: Spathe - inner surface - microscope low magnification (3)Image 4: Spathe - inner surface - microscope low magnification (4)
3: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
15 Apr 2006 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
. Photos: Nail varnish peels of leaf surfaces
Image 1: Leaf - top surface - microscope low magnificationImage 2: Leaf - top surface - microscope low magnification (2)Image 3: Leaf - top surface - microscope low magnification (3)Image 4: Leaf - top surface - microscope low magnification (4)Image 5: Leaf - under surface - microscope low magnificationImage 6: Leaf - under surface - microscope low magnification (2)Image 7: Leaf - under surface - microscope low magnification (3)Image 8: Leaf - under surface - microscope low magnification (4)Image 9: Leaf - under surface - microscope low magnification (5)
4: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
9 Jul 2005 OSGR: SP50 51° 50’ N, 1° 10’ W Vice County: Oxon (VC 23) England
Unripe fruit
Image 1: Group of unripe fruiting spikesImage 2: Group of unripe fruiting spikes (2)Image 3: Group of unripe fruiting spikes (3)
5: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
5 Aug 2000 OSGR: SU88 51° 30’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Infructescence - ripening - side view - close-upImage 2: Infructescence - ripe - side view - close-upImage 3: Infructescences - fiveImage 4: Infructescences - five (2)Image 5: Infructescences - threeImage 6: Infructescences - twoImage 7: Infructescence - top view - close-upImage 8: Infructescence - top view - close-up (2)
6: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
7 May 2000 OSGR: SU18 51° 40’ N, 1° 40’ W Vice County: North Wilts (VC 7) England
form with deep purple flowers
Image 1: FlowersImage 2: Plant
7: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
7 May 2000 OSGR: SU18 51° 40’ N, 1° 40’ W Vice County: North Wilts (VC 7) England
form with flower edged with purple
Image 1: Flower - close-upImage 2: Plant
8: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
6 May 2000 OSGR: SU77 51° 30’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: FlowerImage 2: Flower (2)Image 3: Flower - close-upImage 4: Flower - dissectionImage 5: Flower - dissection - anthersImage 6: Flower - dissection - hairs - collapsedImage 7: Flower - dissection - ovules
9: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
6 May 2000 OSGR: SU77 51° 30’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Plant with drooping faded flower
10: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
6 May 2000 OSGR: SU77 51° 30’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: FlowerImage 2: Looking down into base of flowerImage 3: Looking down into base of flower (2)Image 4: Looking down into base of flower (3)Image 5: PlantImage 6: Plant (2)
11: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
25 May 1979 OSGR: SU82 51° 0’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: West Sussex (VC 13) England
Flower, with owl-midges inside base
Image 1: FlowerImage 2: Flower - close-up
12: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
4 Jun 1978 OSGR: TQ21 50° 50’ N, 0° 10’ W Vice County: East Sussex (VC 14) England
Image 1: Leaves
13: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
8 May 1977 OSGR: SU93 51° 10’ N, 0° 40’ W Vice County: Surrey (VC 17) England
Image 1: Flower - close-upImage 2: Flower - close-up (2)
14: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
23 May 1976 OSGR: SU79 51° 40’ N, 0° 60’ W Vice County: Oxon (VC 23) England
Image 1: Flower - spathe with purple spots and margin
15: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
2 Aug 1972 OSGR: SE65 53° 60’ N, 1° 0’ W England
Image 1: Fruit - unripe - close-up
16: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
30 Jul 1971 OSGR: SX84 50° 20’ N, 3° 40’ W Vice County: North Devon (VC 4) England
Image 1: Fruit - close-up
17: Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
8 May 1970 OSGR: TG10 52° 40’ N, 1° 10’ E Vice County: East Norfolk (VC 27) England
Image 1: Leaves and flower bud

Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 14 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Arum maculatum (Cuckoo Pint, Lords and Ladies, Lords-and-ladies)

When the flower is ready, the spadix (the central pillar-like structure) emits strongly dung-smelling chemicals and metabolises sugars to generate heat - if you gently squeeze the spadix between your fingers you can feel the warmth and the smell remains on your fingers. This attracts female moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae), mainly Psychoda phalaenoides. These alight on the surrounding spathe and eventually find their way through the hairs at the base of the spadix into the cavity at the bottom of the spathe.

The plant provides droplets of nectar to feed the moth flies from the ovules. In the process the flies transfer some of the pollen they are carrying onto the stigmas. The flies are held overnight. The following morning the anthers shed the pollen over the trapped flies and then the hairs wither and the moth flies escape.

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