Arum maculatum is a European native with a long list of common names — Cuckoo-Pint, Wake Robin, Bobbins, Adam and Eve — each one a fragment of rural memory. It grows in woodlands from Europe to western Turkey and the Caucasus, preferring the moist, shaded floor beneath deciduous trees, and it brings that character intact to gardens. The leaves are arrow-shaped, glossy, mid to deep green, and typically marked with purplish-black blotches. In April and May the flowers appear: a pale green spathe opening to reveal a deep purple or pale yellow spadix, the interior of the spathe greenish-white with a purple band. The flowers carry an odor that attracts the insects responsible for pollination. After flowering, the foliage withers, and a cylinder-like spike of vivid orangish-red berries remains on the bare stem into autumn.

At 12 to 18 inches tall and 6 to 9 inches wide, it works well in shade gardens, woodland borders, and naturalized areas, where its winter-to-spring foliage fills ground that would otherwise be empty. It is, however, a serious commitment: all parts are poisonous to people and animals, the tubers multiply each year and are difficult to remove, and it self-seeds freely. Every part should be handled with gloves and protective clothing. The berries, though harmless to birds that disperse them, can cause potentially fatal throat swelling if ingested by humans. This is a plant best appreciated from a respectful distance.