Hi folks. As Spring is supposedly with us I decided to take a leisurely
stroll through my local woods. There was one weed/plant which had
sprung up almost everywhere. Unfortunatly, I do not know if it is a
weed or a flowering plant native to woodland.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/204/plantid1vv.jpg

It's on the top left hand corner of the picture. Broad leafed with
black markings on it. The height is about 5 - 8 inches and the grouping
in small clumps. I've even had a couple spring up in the back of my
garden which backs up to a small woodland area. Any ideas / info ???
Thanks !

Uncle C

"Uncle-C" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi folks. As Spring is supposedly with us I decided to take a leisurely
stroll through my local woods. There was one weed/plant which had
sprung up almost everywhere. Unfortunatly, I do not know if it is a
weed or a flowering plant native to woodland.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/204/plantid1vv.jpg

It's on the top left hand corner of the picture. Broad leafed with
black markings on it. The height is about 5 - 8 inches and the grouping
in small clumps. I've even had a couple spring up in the back of my
garden which backs up to a small woodland area. Any ideas / info ???
Thanks !

You might have made it easier by photographing the thing itself rather than
other stuff with it stuck up in a corner :-)

It is hard to see what is in the top left but Cuckoo Pint/Lords and
Ladies/Parson in the Pulpit etc can have spotty leaves

http://www.aphotoflora.com/Arum%20ma...or15-03-05.jpg
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/Enchanted...sandladies.htm

The flowers are very characteristic when they come out (bizarre phallic
looking things in hoods) but the leaves are very obvious as well (just like
in the link above); they are about the size of your hand.
It is a native woodland plant.




Uncle C

On 16/3/06 13:50, in article
, "Uncle-C"
wrote:

Hi folks. As Spring is supposedly with us I decided to take a leisurely
stroll through my local woods. There was one weed/plant which had
sprung up almost everywhere. Unfortunatly, I do not know if it is a
weed or a flowering plant native to woodland.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/204/plantid1vv.jpg

It's on the top left hand corner of the picture. Broad leafed with
black markings on it. The height is about 5 - 8 inches and the grouping
in small clumps. I've even had a couple spring up in the back of my
garden which backs up to a small woodland area. Any ideas / info ???
Thanks !

Cuckoo pint?
http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=...O-8859-1&hl=en
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
)

Des Higgins wrote:
http://www.aphotoflora.com/Arum%20ma...or15-03-05.jpg
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/Enchanted...sandladies.htm

The flowers are very characteristic when they come out (bizarre phallic
looking things in hoods) but the leaves are very obvious as well (just like
in the link above); they are about the size of your hand.
It is a native woodland plant.

The shape of the leaf of the OP pic bears no resemblance to the arum
leaves. I have a few myself and the leaf in the picture doesn't look
like the one the OT sent. The OT mentioned also 'black' spots. The
usual colours of spots on arums are lighter than the leaves and are
generally from light yellow to darker green.

Having said that I haven't got a clue what it is. Looks like the leaf
is cup shaped - like the morning glory or convolvulus.

"La Puce" wrote in message
oups.com...

Des Higgins wrote:
http://www.aphotoflora.com/Arum%20ma...or15-03-05.jpg
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/Enchanted...sandladies.htm

The flowers are very characteristic when they come out (bizarre phallic
looking things in hoods) but the leaves are very obvious as well (just
like
in the link above); they are about the size of your hand.
It is a native woodland plant.

The shape of the leaf of the OP pic bears no resemblance to the arum


It is actually very hard to see anything up in the corner of the picture but
there is one leaf that looks like an arum maculatum leaf from an angle.

leaves. I have a few myself and the leaf in the picture doesn't look
like the one the OT sent. The OT mentioned also 'black' spots. The
usual colours of spots on arums are lighter than the leaves and are
generally from light yellow to darker green.

http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswik...tform_JVkl.jpg
usually they are light but they can be dark.


Having said that I haven't got a clue what it is. Looks like the leaf
is cup shaped - like the morning glory or convolvulus.

"Des Higgins" wrote
"Uncle-C" wrote
Hi folks. As Spring is supposedly with us I decided to take a
leisurely stroll through my local woods. There was one weed/plant
which had sprung up almost everywhere. Unfortunatly, I do not know if
it is a weed or a flowering plant native to woodland.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/204/plantid1vv.jpg

snip
It is hard to see what is in the top left but Cuckoo Pint/Lords and
Ladies/Parson in the Pulpit etc can have spotty leaves

http://www.aphotoflora.com/Arum%20ma...or15-03-05.jpg
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/Enchanted...sandladies.htm

The flowers are very characteristic when they come out (bizarre
phallic looking things in hoods) but the leaves are very obvious as
well (just like in the link above); they are about the size of your
hand.
It is a native woodland plant.

Yes, looks like Lords and Ladies (Arum maculatum). We used to call it
Cuckoo Pint when I was small and would be warned of the deadly
consequences of ever attempting to eat the red berries it has in autumn.
They are toxic although quite how deadly they really are I'm not sure.
It's one of the plants that seems to do well even in quite dry shade and
it often has good leaf markings. There are selected varieties sold in
GCs or you might see the similar Arum italicum offered. I like to use
the arrowhead shaped foliage as a handsome contrast in Spring to smaller
leaved things like variegated lesser periwinkles, and snowdrops and
small narcissus look good with it too.

--
Sue

Des Higgins wrote:
http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswik...tform_JVkl.jpg
usually they are light but they can be dark.

Ho! This one looks amazing. What colours are the flowers?

"La Puce" wrote
The shape of the leaf of the OP pic bears no resemblance to the arum
leaves. I have a few myself and the leaf in the picture doesn't look
like the one the OT sent. The OT mentioned also 'black' spots. The
usual colours of spots on arums are lighter than the leaves and are
generally from light yellow to darker green.

Having said that I haven't got a clue what it is. Looks like the leaf
is cup shaped - like the morning glory or convolvulus.

And would there be Morning Glories with broad leaves springing up in
clumps in early Spring in a British wood??

The OP's picture wasn't really showing the plant he needs to identify at
a very good angle, but Arum maculatum *does* often have dark markings,
either spots or 'marbling' - I've got some myself. It has the broadish
leaves he describes at this time of year. Perhaps he can confirm whether
the arrow-head shape matches.

--
Sue

It is Arum maculatum, or lord and ladies, or cuckoo pint.

A bit boring when just the leaves are showing, but has an interesting flower - rey/white spathe shoots up througn the leaves in spring.

Its cousin, arum maculatum var. marmoratum, aka 'Pictum' has striking leaves too, marbled white and green. Followed by bright red seeds too.

linette
www.applegategardens.co.uk

Sue writes

"La Puce" wrote
The shape of the leaf of the OP pic bears no resemblance to the arum
leaves. I have a few myself and the leaf in the picture doesn't look
like the one the OT sent. The OT mentioned also 'black' spots. The
usual colours of spots on arums are lighter than the leaves and are
generally from light yellow to darker green.

Having said that I haven't got a clue what it is. Looks like the leaf
is cup shaped - like the morning glory or convolvulus.

And would there be Morning Glories with broad leaves springing up in
clumps in early Spring in a British wood??

The OP's picture wasn't really showing the plant he needs to identify at
a very good angle, but Arum maculatum *does* often have dark markings,
either spots or 'marbling' - I've got some myself.

Indeed. Stace (the accepted authority on the British Flora) says "leaf
blades appearing in early spring, often blackish-purple-spotted...".

--
Kay

Uncle-C writes
Hi folks. As Spring is supposedly with us I decided to take a leisurely
stroll through my local woods. There was one weed/plant which had
sprung up almost everywhere. Unfortunatly, I do not know if it is a
weed or a flowering plant native to woodland.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/204/plantid1vv.jpg

It's on the top left hand corner of the picture. Broad leafed with
black markings on it. The height is about 5 - 8 inches and the grouping
in small clumps. I've even had a couple spring up in the back of my
garden which backs up to a small woodland area. Any ideas / info ???
Thanks !

I take it the pic is of your garden not the woods.

The description sounds like wild arum, lords-and-ladies,
jack-in-the-pulpit, cuckoo-pint (Arum maculatum). Rich green arrow
shaped leaves. But I'd be surprised to find it 'almost everywhere' - you
usually get the odd clump.

Difficult to identify from your picture which shows the leaf at an angle
so you can't see its full shape or size. If the leaf you're pointing to
isn't simply another cyclamen leaf, then it looks most like lesser
celandine, whose leaves are superficially similar but not as fleshy. But
I wouldn't describe the markings on a celandine leaf as black - more
silvery.

If it is a celandine, you'll know fairly soon as it will produce bright
yellow flowers like a mini waterlily.

I'd go for the Arum. But do have this worry about the abundance.
--
Kay

Thanks everyone for your help !! I've looked at various pictures of
arum maculatum on the net and it looks as if it matches. The photo I've
linked was one I found in a plant guide book and which I scanned and
not an actual photo that I took. The photo was of a spring wood scene
with cyclamen and I noticed the arum in the corner. It was the only pic
I could find of it. As I said earlier I have some growing in the back
of my garden and once it spikes berries should I be worried for my cat
? If it is poisonous for humans will it affect the neighbourhood cats,
squirrels, badgers, etc etc ?? I'm concerned for catty as it has a
tendancy to gobble anything that looks vaguely interesting.
Thanks again for all your help you have all been absolutely fantastic
in your efforts !!!

Uncle

ps: Has anyone used the plant in their own garden to create a woodland
effect ? I have an area with a fern and some foxgloves and am thinking
of maybe getting some for that part of the garden.

In article .com,
Uncle-C wrote:
... As I said earlier I have some growing in the back
of my garden and once it spikes berries should I be worried for my cat

No. It is irritant rather than seriously poisonous, and even the
thickest cat will learn from the first bite. There are almost
certainly a dozen much more poisonous plants in your garden.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Uncle-C" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi folks. As Spring is supposedly with us I decided to take a
leisurely
stroll through my local woods. There was one weed/plant which had
sprung up almost everywhere. Unfortunatly, I do not know if it is a
weed or a flowering plant native to woodland.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/204/plantid1vv.jpg

It's on the top left hand corner of the picture. Broad leafed with
black markings on it. The height is about 5 - 8 inches and the
grouping
in small clumps. I've even had a couple spring up in the back of my
garden which backs up to a small woodland area. Any ideas / info ???
Thanks !

'Don't think it is the Arum lily. They tend to have erect arrow shaped
leaves.
Taking into account the scale of the foreground snowdrops and
cyclamen, I reckon it is more like Lesser Celandine, Ranunculus
ficaria. That can have dark marks on the leaves.
...... see http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk/LesserCelandine.html

--
ned

On 16/3/06 20:13, in article , "ned"
wrote:


"Uncle-C" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi folks. As Spring is supposedly with us I decided to take a
leisurely
stroll through my local woods. There was one weed/plant which had
sprung up almost everywhere. Unfortunatly, I do not know if it is a
weed or a flowering plant native to woodland.

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/204/plantid1vv.jpg

It's on the top left hand corner of the picture. Broad leafed with
black markings on it. The height is about 5 - 8 inches and the
grouping
in small clumps. I've even had a couple spring up in the back of my
garden which backs up to a small woodland area. Any ideas / info ???
Thanks !

'Don't think it is the Arum lily. They tend to have erect arrow shaped
leaves.
Taking into account the scale of the foreground snowdrops and
cyclamen, I reckon it is more like Lesser Celandine, Ranunculus
ficaria. That can have dark marks on the leaves.
..... see http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk/LesserCelandine.html

No, no, not Arum lily. Cuckoo pint. Arum lily is Zantedeschia aethopica.
The leaf the OP is talking about is not in the foreground but towards the
left back. THAT is, almost certainly, the cuckoo pint or Arum maculatum.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
)