Cuckoo-Pint
| Latin Name: | Arum maculatum |
| Manx Name: | cleaysh-voddee veg |
| Season: | May - June |
| Locations where this species is found: | |
| Silverdale Glen Silverburn River Bradda Head Fleshwick Clypse and Kerrowdhoo | |
This plant is also known as "Lords and Ladies" and has many other names. It is easier to spot in the autumn with its clusters of bright red berries, but it also produces a prominent spadix in the spring.
As well as being poisonous, Cuckoo-Pint is filled with tiny crystalline structures that are extremely painful and irritating to the mouth and throat, so people rarely consume enough of the plant for poisoning to be a concern but will very quickly realize that eating this plant was a bad idea! As a result, this plant is responsible for more emergency hospital visits than any other wild plant.
The root of Cuckoo-Pint is also highly poisonous, but can be made safe to eat with very careful preparation. Foragers are best avoiding this plant.
Its Manx name is "cleaysh-voddee veg", which means "small dog's ear".
As well as being poisonous, Cuckoo-Pint is filled with tiny crystalline structures that are extremely painful and irritating to the mouth and throat, so people rarely consume enough of the plant for poisoning to be a concern but will very quickly realize that eating this plant was a bad idea! As a result, this plant is responsible for more emergency hospital visits than any other wild plant.
The root of Cuckoo-Pint is also highly poisonous, but can be made safe to eat with very careful preparation. Foragers are best avoiding this plant.
Its Manx name is "cleaysh-voddee veg", which means "small dog's ear".
