A very general name for Arum maculatum L., given in reference to the dark and light spadices, the dark being the lords, the light the ladies (Britten & Holland, Plant-n.).
1760. J. Lee, Introd. Bot., App. 317. Lords and Ladies, Arum.
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr., I. 99. Oft under trees we nestled in a ring, Culling out lords and ladies.
1901. T. Cooke-Trench, in Longm. Mag., April, 533. She accordingly set boys to collect roots of lords and ladies.