Whats this

[Andy H]

This has popped up from the depths but what is it?

[Andy H]

[ceres]

Some kind of arum lily?

[Georgie]

Yes I agree.  Might be Arum Italicum?

G x

[Andy H]

Think you may be right!  I googled and found pictures of leaves and berries which we have seen before but none showed the actual flower? But yes the berries we saw last year, keep pulling up but they return.

They seem to survive like bind weed!!!

[Robert_Brenchley]

They're very persistent but it's a good shade plant, and quite ornamental if left to develop. If you've got any deep shade that's the place for it. I've got arums round the garden, but the ones under a hedge where they never get any sunlight are the biggest.

[ceres]

Andy, if you're not pulling it out this time (!) could you save some seed when it berries again?  I've got lots of deep shade and anything new and interesting is always welcome. 

[nippie]

Is it Lords and Ladies?? A poisonous wild plant.
http://www.the-tree.org.uk/EnchantedForest/WoodlandFlowers/lordsandladies.htm

[Robert_Brenchley]

What I can see of the leaf is more like italicum.

[Andy H]

Ceres I pulled it up but it will be back and there may be another one somewhere

Email me you email and I will make a note.....

Andy

[Georgie]

As luck would have it my Arum Italicum came out today.  Here's a picture:



As Robert says it's a lovely plant for shade.   :)

G x

[Andy H]

The Lords and Ladies link above looks the same as yours Georgie

Probably got lots of names as do most things.

[star]

There are loads growing in the woods at the back of my house, I meant to collect berries last year and forgot. I will remember this year

[Andy H]

The berries are poisonous? what do you collect them for?

[star]

To grow some Arum, I have a very shady border that is hard to plant up ;)

[Andy H]

oh right ha! missed the obvious..... :-X

[star]

No probs Andy  ;) ;D

[Palustris]

The native Arum is Arum maculatum. The one normally grown with variegated leaves is a form of Arum italicum. Grown from berries the variegated one does not always produce well variegated leaves. Both however are very invasive. Whilst poisonous there are no records of anyone actually dying of eating them. From reports it would take a very very determined person to consume more than one taste of the berries. It supposedly is like chewing a mouthful of extremely sharp needles (their words, not mine)

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

though you can make flour out of the roots (shows how desperate people were in the past). Thomas Hardy said the berries and the spathe were like an apoplectic cardinal in a malachite niche (somewhere)

[star]

I would guess the invasive nature is down to berry drop? So if I removed the berries they would behave better  ???

[Andy H]

I doubt it ;D they just keep coming back