Anyone know what this plant is? Totally baffled.

[Cakeonthefloor]

It appears this time of year. It emerges with the leaves coiled looking almost like a fungus. The leaves are white and black. They unfurl and grow upwards. No flowers. Dies down completely by July. Most identifying feature is the white and black stem.

Another picture of the stem, if I can get it to upload!

The photo is a bit blurry and I can't tell which plant in the picture you are referring to. Can you post more photos?

Sorry no more photos. The plant which looks a but like a hellebore, with fig leaf like leaves and white and black stem.

It looks a bit like Solomon's seal to me but I am not at all certain.

Upload the picture to Candide and it'll likely identify it for you.

Plant identifier app is saying it’s a Black Arum Lily.

Thanks! I will Google those suggestions. I have been looking in garden centres for two years and I have seen nothing like it.

Definitely not black arum lily or Solomon's seal. No flowers and the leaves are large. It is a mystery still!

Google lens suggests it's a dracunculus vulgaris or canariensis though that's not hardy in the UK. A sort of arum lily.

Leaves are like a peony.

Dracunculus vulgaris, dragon arum.
Has very smelly flowers

It has never flowered and is definitely very frost hardy.

Could it be a peony? I know they take a fair few years to flower

It doesn't look like the dragon arum I have. The leaves of mine are blotchy. I've definitely seen that plant before though maybe while out walking.

I had another look at dragon arums and it does look like some photos. It has a snake skin appearance to the stem and comes up as a cone in spring. Maybe it has just never flowered (which is good, if it stinks). Has survived snow and very minus temperatures, though.

I’ve grown it but I don’t know the name....ah, yes, just come back to me. Voodoo lily, stunningly beautiful in an understated way. Lots of species are called that, try Sauromatum, Amorphophallus, Dracunculus. All they same basic plan, flower a spathe, like wild arum (jack-in-the-pulpit, cuckoo pint, lords and ladies)

It is most definately an aroid - possibly Dragon Arum (Dracunculus vulgaris), but could be one of many other species eg Arum consanguinem, Arisaema nepenthoides, or Arisaema tortuosum, all of which are hardy in the UK. My very favourite genus of plants, fascinating and surreal with an extraordinary botanical lifestyle.

Look up Titan Arum - the plant which has the world's largest flower, or Dead Horse Arum (Helicodiceros musciverus) for something really bizarre! Both members of the same genus.

My Dragon Arums are putting on plenty of growth now and I expect them to flower in late May/early June - good job I have no neighbours, the smell is extraordinary! But amazing plants, nonetheless

Thanks evrryone for your wisdom. Hopefully it will flower this year and I can know for sure which one it is!

Dranunculus.
The flowers are spectacular
but they STINK

They stink when they are in flower to attract flies which pollinate them. Some smell of rotting flesh, others of sh**. Sent one in a sealed plastic bag to show-and-tell at school. Of course they didn’t believe it could smell so bad and opened the bag

Try growing Konjac !
I've banned it from near the house

A friend gave me a Konjac last year. Don’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved that it didn’t flower!

I grow several species of amorphophallus
because they are stunning plants
but you have to steer clear for the three days when they each flower

Just looked up the amorphophallus and wiki tells me it smells like a rotting corpse!

Spectacular looking plant though.

Lakie
I compared it to the water buffalo house at Marwell Zoo on a hot day