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Arum maculatum

Cuckoo Pint · Jack-in-the-pulpit · Wake Robin

Family AraceaeGenus Arum

A pale green hooded spathe opened to show a slender purple-brown spadix with rings of small flowers at its base
FlowerF. Bemmerlein-LuxCC BY 4.0
A color plate of two arrow-shaped leaves and a tuber with its roots, with the spadix, the ripe red berry cluster and single seeds drawn separately
IllustrationJohann Georg Sturm (Painter: Jacob Sturm)Public domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Herbaceous Perennial, HouseplantExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Habit
tuberous geophytePlants of the World Online
Height
1-1.5 ft30-45 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
6-9 in15-25 cmExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Green, Purple/Lavender, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
SpringExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia-Slovakia, France and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Growing conditions

Sun
Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, MoistExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Its root once made laundry starch. Lords-and-ladies may come from its use for starching the ruffs of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Wikipedia: Arum maculatum
  • The spadix gives off heat, and probably scent, as the flowers mature. Small rodents often eat much of it away. Wikipedia: Arum maculatum

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around June 19, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on June 18, 2026.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  3. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  4. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

about 9 months from start to step 4. Germination happens during step 4, in 21 days.

80% germination in 3–21 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Arum p. 102Public domain
Show the original text
Arum (Araceae). A. maculatum germ. best in 40-70-40-70(80% in 3-21d) and less in 70-40-70-40(30% in 9-11 w). It is curious that the T at which the seed is sown directs the T at which germination ultimately occurs. Seed DS 6 m at 40 or 70 gave similar results. Germination was hypogeal like all Araceae. The true leaf did not develop properly unless the seedling was kept at 40 for 4 m after germination.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Arum p. 102. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around April 24, 2027 for a May 3 last frost. Too late for spring 2027 — that needed starting on April 23, 2026.

  1. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  2. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

  3. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C

  4. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

about 9 months from start to step 4. Germination happens during step 4, in 77 days.

30% germination in 63–77 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Arum p. 102Public domain
Show the original text
Arum (Araceae). A. maculatum germ. best in 40-70-40-70(80% in 3-21d) and less in 70-40-70-40(30% in 9-11 w). It is curious that the T at which the seed is sown directs the T at which germination ultimately occurs. Seed DS 6 m at 40 or 70 gave similar results. Germination was hypogeal like all Araceae. The true leaf did not develop properly unless the seedling was kept at 40 for 4 m after germination.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Arum p. 102. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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