cuckoopint

Thân thiện

A cuckoopint grows in a shady woodland clearing.

Definition

Noun: A common European perennial plant (Arum maculatum) of the arum family, characterized by a lance-shaped leafy bract (spathe) surrounding a short, purple flower spike (spadix). It emerges in early spring, and its root was historically a source of a starch called arum.

Usage

• The cuckoopint is a familiar sight in European woodlands during spring.
• Botanists study the unique pollination strategy of the cuckoopint.
• While attractive, all parts of the cuckoopint plant are poisonous if ingested.

Advanced Usage

• The plant is also known by the folk name "lords-and-ladies," a reference to the shape and colors of its inflorescence.
• Historically, the starch extracted from the roots of the cuckoopint was used for stiffening linen, though this practice is now obsolete due to the plant's toxicity.

Variants and Related Words

• Arum maculatum: The botanical Latin name for the cuckoopint.
• Lords-and-ladies: A common alternative name for the same plant.
• Wake-robin: A name sometimes used for related arum species in North America.
• Arum: The genus name and a more general term for plants in this family.

Synonyms

• Lords-and-ladies
• Arum (in a general sense, though this refers to a larger genus)

Notes on Meaning

The name "cuckoopint" is derived from older English words. "Cuckoo" refers to its spring appearance, coinciding with the cuckoo bird's call. "Pint" is a shortening of "pintle," an old word for penis, alluding to the shape of the spadix. This illustrates how common plant names often have descriptive, if sometimes vulgar, historical origins.

Học thuật

Noun

1. common European arum with lanceolate spathe and short purple spadix; emerges in early spring; source of a starch called arum

Từ đồng nghĩa

• lords-and-ladies
• jack-in-the-pulpit
• Arum maculatum