Arum

Arum has had many inappropriate nicknames due to it’s appearance. One of these nicknames, cuckoo-pint was used to signify copulation. Pint being short for ‘pintel’ meaning penis.  Cuckoo may have come from the Latin word cucullus meaning ‘cowl’ hence nicknames like priest’s pintle were born. Due to this reputation perhaps arum was used as an aphrodisiac. However, most of it’s appearances are in herbal encyclopedias. The plant is poisonous, but the roots were processed into starch, similar to arrowroot, and used to treat snakebite.  Serpentia, a name for dragon arum, was coined due to its stems being patterned like snakeskin. This name feels very appropriate as it is a treatment against snake venom.

Resources Used

Fisher, Celia. Flowers in Medieval Manuscripts. 1. publ, British Library, 2004.

---. The Medieval Flower Book. British Library, 2007.