Arum palaestinum

Arum palaestinum is a tuberous perennial of the Levant and the wider Mediterranean basin, up to about half a metre tall, now naturalised in parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and Australia. It is known as black calla, Solomon's lily, priest's hood, noo'ah loof and kardi. It flowers in March and April, when its dark purplish-black spadix, wrapped in a reddish-brown spathe, makes it easy to recognise, and its scent can resemble rotting fruit, which draws flies to pollinate it. The page says it is toxic at low doses, so the leaves and tubers are eaten only after leaching and thorough cooking, usually with lemon or sorrel or in soups, with a taste likened to Swiss chard. Levantine traditional medicine has used extracts for worms, wounds, urinary blockage and kidney stones, and Iraqi Jews used it for worms, skin sores, rheumatism and diarrhoea. It was among the plants most often used by Palestinians in the West Bank.