Mouse Plant

Now this one is a real cutie. A native of Italy & Spain, the Mouse Plant, or Mouse Tail Plant (latin name Arisarum proboscideum) would be worth growing just for its very nice shiny green arrowhead leaves which form a low, spreading carpet beginning late in winter when nothing much else is happening in the garden. However, as spring arrives the mice start to appear – rising to a whole garden full of little rodents in April. The spathe is a fat brownish beige flower that descends into a white are that attaches to the main stem and then – at the other end - elongates away from the plant in a chocolate coloured extension exactly like a mouse’s tail.

You may have to lift some of those vigorous leaves to find the mice, as they can be completely concealed by foliage. The Mouse Plant is hardy and easily grown, perhaps the main risk is damp which can rot the tubers during the autumn/winter dormancy period. Because this is a European plant, it does well across the UK and can be expected to spread easily from tubers which may have to be lifted and separated every five to seven years. Some people say the plant has a scent of mushroom – although this isn’t picked up by everyone, and the shape and smell together may be a way of attracting insects that pollinate the plant but so far little research has been done to explore whether the creatures that are attracted to the Mouse Plant are responding to the smell, or the shape, or neither or both!

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