lords and ladies en · NOUN
Etymology
Those with purplish spadix are the "lords", and those with pale spadix the "ladies".
Meanings
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(uncountable) Arum maculatum, a woodland plant species of the Araceae family native to northern Europe.
Often growing with the Primroses, we find peering through the Moss or Ivy-clad bank, the shining green leaves of our native Wild Arum, familiarly known as "Lords and Ladies" and "Cuckoo Pint."
1893, William Robinson, The English Flower Garden: Style, Position & Arrangement: Followed by a Description of All the Best Plants for It, Their Culture and Arrangement, page 254:
Synonyms
wakerobin · cuckoopint · adder's meat · lords-and-ladies · arum lily · adder's root · naked boys · lamb-in-a-pulpit · devils and angels · cuckoopint · lord-and-lady · snake's head · bobbins · Jack-in-the-pulpit · friar's cowl · arum · wild arum · Adam and Eve · cuckoo-plant · starch-root · cows and bulls · kitty-come-down-the-lane-jump-up-and-kiss-me · Jack-in-the-pulpit