Lords-and-ladies Facts
Lords-and-ladies Facts
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| Interesting Lords-and-ladies Facts: |
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| Lords-and-ladies is herbaceous plant that can reach 12 to 20 inches in height. |
| Lords-and-ladies has large, oblong, potato-shaped tuberous root filled with large quantities of starch. |
| Lords-and-ladies develops large, arrow-shaped bright green leaves covered with purple or black blotches. Leaves are glossy and have long petioles. |
| Lords-and-ladies blooms during the April and May. It produces large number of primitive flowers located on the bottom part of yellow or purple, rod-shaped spadix. Leafy hood, better known as spathe, surrounds spadix (spadix is clearly visible from one side). |
| Lords-and-ladies is monoecious plant, which means that each plant produces individual male and female flowers on the same stem. Female flowers are located at the base of spadix. Male flowers are positioned above them. Part of spadix above flowers is covered with hairs which are designed for trapping the insects. |
| Spadix emits smell of rotting meat which attracts insects responsible for the pollination. Spadix increases temperature (it can be 15 degrees warmer compared to its environment) to intensify unusual aroma of this plant. When owl-midges (type of moth flies responsible for the pollination) land on spadix, they end up trapped in the hairs. Before they find a way to escape, owl-midges collect pollen that will be transferred to the female flowers during the next visit of lords-and-ladies. |
| Fruit of lords-and-ladies are orange-red berries arranged in clusters. Fruit ripens during the autumn and remains on the spadix after wilting of spathe. |
| Name "lords-and-ladies" refers to the shape of spadix and spathe, which look like union of male and female reproductive organs. |
| Entire plant (especially berries) is filled with poisonous, bitter sap which induces swelling of throat, breathing problems and abdominal discomfort. Ingestion of berries of lords-and-ladies is the most common type of accidental plant poisoning. |
| Roasted root of lords-and-ladies can be used in human diet. |
| Ground root of lords-and-ladies was used as drink before it was replaced with tea and coffee. |
| Starch extracted from the root of lords-and-ladies was used in cosmetic purposes in France and for the removal of freckles from the face in Italy. |
| Starch obtained from lords-and-ladies was also used for stiffening collars in Elizabethan times. This practice was responsible for the blisters on the hands of laundresses. |
| Lords-and-ladies is cultivated in ornamental purposes because of its decorative, variegated leaves and intensely colored berries. |
| Lords-and-ladies is perennial plant (life span: more than 2 years in the wild). |
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