Arum maculatum L.

Tuberous herb sprouting in late winter to early spring from a rhizomatous tuber 3-6 cm long, 2-2.5 cm thick. Petiole terete to D-shaped in cross-section, 9-53 cm long, 6-11 terete to D-shaped in cross-section, 9-53 cm long, 6-11 mm wide, mid-green to deep green. mm wide, mid-green to deep green. Leaf-blade sagittate-hastate to oblong-hastate or oblong-lanceolate-hastate, apex acute to obtuse, 7-27 cm long, 3.5-19 cm wide, mid-green to deep green, often lightly to heavily marked with jagged, purple-black spots and patches, these often bullate. INFLORESCENCE smelling moderately of sour urine. Peduncle much shorter than or equalling the leaves, terete, 4-26 cm long, 6-8 mm wide, mid-green to deep green. Spathe 6.5-27 cm long, spathe-tube ovoid-oblong, 1.5-5 cm long, 1.2.5 cm wide, moderately to rather strongly constricted apically, exterior pale to mid-green, interior greenish white, usually with a c.5 mm wide purple band around the middle, more rarely the tube apex may be suffused with purple within; spathe-limb elliptic-ovate to lanceolate-elliptic, or narrowly lanceolate, 5-22 cm long, 3-12 cm wide, erect, acuminate to acute, the tip tending to droop as the inflorescence ages, externally pale to mid-green, the margins occasionally suffused with purple, rarely the whole exterior mid-purple, internally greenish white to yellowish green, often similarly spotted to the foliage, more rarely pale yellow or flushed with pink to mid-purple, very rarely wholly mid-purple. Spadix 1/3 - ½ as long as the spathe-limb, 4-14 cm in total length; appendix slender-clavate to subcylindric, rarely broadly clavate or conical, long-stipitate, 2.5-9 cm long, 2.5-9 mm wide, deep purple to pale yellow, more rarely dull brown, stipe usually darker. Staminodes in 5 or 6 whorls forming a zone 3-9 mm long; bristles filiform, flexuous, 5-6 mm long, purple to violet; bases conic, weakly verrucate, pale yellow. Interstices: upper 0-3 mm long with some rudimentary staminode bases, pale cream; lower similar. Staminate flowers in an oblong to quadrate zone 1.5-7 mm long, 2.7.5 mm in an oblong to quadrate zone 1.5-7 mm long, 2.7.5 mm wide, anthers and connectives dark to mid-purple. Pistillodes in 1-3 whorls forming a zone 2.5-7 mm long; bristles filiform to aristate, flexuous, 2.5-3 mm long, purple to violet; bases bulbiform to compressed-triangular, ± smooth, pale yellow. Pistillate flowers in a cylindric to globose-cylindric cluster 8-21 mm long; ovaries ellipsoid-oblong, 2-3.5 mm long, cream to very pale greenish yellow, purple apically, stigma white. 8-21 mm long; ovaries ellipsoid-oblong, 2-3.5 mm long, cream to very pale greenish yellow, purple apically, stigma white. Fruiting spike cylindric to oblong-cylindric, 2.5-5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide; berries oblong-ovoid, 4-11 mm long, 3.5-5 mm wide. Germination hypogeal.