Cuckoo pint contains the toxic calcium oxalate, which can cause irritation to the skin and if consumed can cause a swelling of the tongue so server it can lead to extreme difficulty in breathing. You should not attempt to process Cuckoo pint unless you know exactly how to do so.

Cuckoo Pint Arum maculatum

Cuckoo pint is a common plant that may be found in hedgerows and woodlands. You may know it by another name as it has many. The most common ones are lords and ladies, Adam and Eve, Jack-in-the-pulpit, wake robin, and angels and devils. The leaves are large and glossy, they may or may not have spots on them. The plant changes throughout the year resulting in a series of different looks. I won’t go into detail here, but I will add some shots below, and update them throughout the year. Currently the shots below were taken in March 2009.

The leaves are sometimes marked with dark spots (top). But more often than not, spots are not present (bottom)

ROOT – the root yields an edible starch, which was once grown on a small industrial scale. The root needs to go through a series of processes to make it safe to use as a food source. CAUTION IS ADVISED – see above.

LEAVES – the leaves have also been eaten in the past, but these too need to be prepared correctly to avoid poisoning.

USES – the starch produced from the root has been used to stiffen laundry