Spotty Fern

[Cetti]

This was taken this afternoon on the edge of a shady wood. I'm supposing it's a fern, but cannot find the name. Any ideas - and is it quite common or have I found a rarity?

[lia*]

cetti, sorry i don't know. but i have one very similar. actually the leaf is exactly the same only the spots are white.

can you tell me how you post the picture on this question? i once saw the answer on another question but i cannot find it. you can email me step-by-step instructions when you have the time at [e-mail]. much appreciated, thank you

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Cetti, Its way past my bedtime but this one I could'nt resist. Not a fern but actually a lily, its said to have more common names than any other plant in Britain, Lords and Ladies or Cuckoo Pint are just two of them, Its latin name is (Arum maculatum) and sometimes also known as wild arum, Its not rare but you have to be about at the right time to see it, shady woodland is its ideal habitat, the blotches on the leaves are variable and not always evident. Lords and Ladies and other male/female local names are descriptive of of the flower and its likeness to male and female genitalia. thought to be symbolic of copulation. It probably also holds the record for the longest common English name also, apparently in parts of the west country it has the local name, which go's something like "genny come down the lane jump up and kiss me". It has rad berries at the end of summer which are poisonous. It high in starch and in Elizabethan times it was used to stffen colars (ruffs) I saw some eastern European imigrant people digging some up last year, whether the leaves are edible, I dont know, maybe someone else can say ?

[Cetti]

Hello Thunderbird, it was a bit late wasn't it, but thank you for resisting the urge to nod off!

Now, please don't think I'm disputing your answer I'm not, just curious that's all . Yesterday amongst the 'spotty things' were loads of Lords and Ladies and I always thought that this was an arum lily, but like you said it is probably a variation .... and there was only the one patch.

Rather an apt name for me and one I've haven't heard before 'genny come down the lane' - I must remember that ;-)

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Cetti, Nice photo's. I can see how one might think that the leaves and the flowers of this plant are from differant plants, as they do not appear to be conected, the flowers and leaves emerge from the ground in many differant places, not always apparently together, some years the flowers may not come up at all (just leaves) but they are conected below ground to a large tuberous root, which functions as a storage organ and stores nutrients in the form of starch for the folowing year.

The flower or spathe is unusual in that it attracts flies to pollenate it by producing a faul smell, like a rotting carcass, the fly becomes traped in the base of the spathe by downward pointig hairs, the fly is then held prisoner over night and while attempting to escape inadvertently transfers pollen and fertilizes the flower, by morning the the hairs have withered and the fly is released and may again be attracted to another flower.

If you live on the south coast of England or the Chanel Islands, you may be lucky to see another closely related relative (Arum italicum) growing wild, which many "improved" garden forms have arose from, often with white marbled leaf zones.

It must be a tough life being a fly!! Cheers

[Cetti]

Hello again Thunderbird, I'm so glad you came back to fill in my ignorance. That is so interesting. I wouldn't have thought that the leaf I photographed had any connection whatsoever with the Lords and Ladies plant. Isn't nature wonderful? I suppose the latter works in a similar way to the Venus Flycatcher or is it the Pitcher plant, well it doesn't really matter as they are all pretty amazing plants.

Yes, I'm lucky enough to live on the south coast of Dorset so will keep my eyes open for Arum Italicum. Many thanks again for your help, very much appreciated.

[nickyT]

The flowers are unusual but not wortha asniff as thet arent at all pleasant, the smell is to attract flies that pollinate them so u can imagine what they smell of!!

Nick

[Cetti]

Thanks for the advice nicky - I'll try and curb my instincts and avoid smelling the flowers as it sounds disgusting!