Arum nigrum

This Balkan native, found in rocky hillside pockets of soil, has been an outstanding performer in our garden and is certainly one of our favorites...of course, we say that to all the arums. The 10" tall, dark, glossy green leaves form a small compact clump all winter that is highlighted in late April - early May (NC) with dramatic dark purple flowers. Peter Boyce in The Genus Arum describes the flower as having "a penetrating stench of horse-dung! However the smell, for an otherwise short duration, is a small price to pay for an otherwise first-rate garden plant." Oh, those English gardeners and their wicked sense of humor.