Lords and Ladies © Yvonne Cornell, 2013
Orange Candleflower.
Lords and Ladies.
All nicknames for this invasive, yet strangely beautiful Arum Italicum flowering plant.
Her seductive bright orange berries nestled in paper thin corn husks lured me in . . .
Upon further research, I learned she is no lady and may in fact cause severe discomfort or illness if eaten and the sap itself can irritate the skin.
It is notoriously difficult to eradicate this plant once established in a garden. Soil removal only breaks up the corms (underground bulbo-tubers) which further promotes propagation.
This exotic and enticing beauty belies an unforgiving toughness. I found this uninvited guest in my garden and she is getting the boot today before it’s too late.
I just discovered a patch of these in a forest yesterday, intensely curious about what they were, did a little internet searching. Found your blog! Thank you! Yes! That’s what I found!
Thank you Danielle! I’m thrilled these Lords & Ladies brought you to my site. Enjoy your foraging – Yvonne 🙂