Cuckoo-pint
Arum maculatum
The cuckoo-pint is thermogenic; its flowering spike can produce its own metabolic heat, raising the temperature by up to 15 degrees Celsius to help spread its dung-like scent and trap pollinating flies.
- Scientific name
- Arum maculatum
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Liliopsida › Alismatales › Araceae › Arum
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, shady hedgerows, and forest floors with moist, nutrient-rich soils.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, drawing water and minerals from soil via roots).
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
- Size
- 20 to 50 cm tall
- Lifespan
- Perennial (the underground tuber can survive for several decades)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, intensive forestry practices, and urban development.
- Safe to approach?
- This plant is toxic and defensive. All parts, especially the bright red berries, contain needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that cause severe irritation, swelling, and pain if touched or consumed. Do not touch the plant or ingest any part of it. If skin contact occurs, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. If ingested, seek immediate medical assistance.
Arum maculatum is a common woodland plant species of the Araceae family. It is widespread across most of Europe, as well as Turkey and the Caucasus. It is known by an abundance of common names including snakeshead , adder's root , arum , wild arum , arum lily , lords-and-ladies , devils and angels , cows and bulls , cuckoo-pint , Adam and Eve , bobbins , naked girls , naked boys , starch-root , wake robin, friar's cowl , sonsie-give-us-your-hand , jack in the pulpit and cheese and toast . The name...
Photo: Grzegorz Grzejszczak, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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