Arisaema

These are unusual-looking plants, related to our native lords-and-ladies, but with more exotic colouration and leaf form. Rather than a traditional flower, they all have a spathe (hood-like), which can be one colour, like Arisaema tortuosum or vividly striped like Arisaema candidissimum, which can be green and white, or candy-pink and white. The flowers are small, hidden away on the spadix, which is 'protected' by the spathe. However on some species the spadix exerts itself 30cm plus out from the shelter of the spathe. A curious thing. Give them dappled shade and a reasonable soil, not bone dry. They can be grown in pots, but make sure these don't get too wet over winter.

Insects (mostly flies) are attracted to the flowers both by scent (usually rather mushroomy) and heat generated chemically within the flower. However the flies go unrewarded as the plants produce no nectar, and indeed in some species, female flowers fatally entrap visting flies so as to further the likelihood of pollination. Although the berries are toxic to mammals, birds eat them with impunity once ripe.