| Description | Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) is a native woodland perennial wildflower that forms a green or purple-brown hooded spathe. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (air-ih-SEE-mah)(try-FIL-lum) |
| Plant Type | Wild Flowers, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 4-9 |
| Sunlight | shade to partial shade |
| Moisture | Requires wet to moist spots in deciduous woods, along streams, and in meadows. |
| Soil & Site | Tolerates a variety of soils, prefers humus-rich, moist soil with a ph of 5-6. |
| Flowers | The flower consists of an erect spadix (spike flower) sitting (subtended) inside a green to purplish spathe, covered with a hood. The spadix produces the pollen deep in the spathe. Smaller insects can get down to the bottom and out to cross-pollinate the plant. The base becomes the burial ground for many larger insects. The flowers are ephemeral, going dormant as the trees start to leaf out. The pulpit is a hooded spadix, and Jack is the spathe. |
| Fruit | Forms a cluster of globose green berries that ripen bright red. |
| Leaves | One or two large leaves, each divided into three deeply veined leaflets. Having three leaflets gives the name triphyllum. |
| Stems | corm |
| Dimensions | Reaches 12-24" tall. |
| Propagation | Propagation can be accomplished by division or from seed. When the seed method is used, germination can take up to 2 years. |
| Native Site | Eastern North America and adjacent Canada |
| Misc Facts | Jack is the "spadix" inside of the pulpit, the "spathe". Also called Indian Turnip since they ate the roots (corms). The roots contain a very bitter, calcium oxalate, which will burn the mouth or cause more damage if swallowed. The corms need to be properly prepared to eliminate the calcium oxalate. aka :Bog Onion, Brown Dragon, Indian turnip, American Wake Robin, Wild Turnip |
| Author's Notes | I have used this plant successfully by providing the proper site conditions. Allow the seeds to ripen and fall to the ground to increase your patch of plants. Learn to recognize the seedlings so as not to yank them out in the spring. The book "The Secrets of Wildflowers by Jack Sanders has an excellent section on Jack-in-the-Pulpit. |
| Notes & Reference | #13-Growing Woodland Plants (Birdseye), #41-Wildflowers of Wisconsin (Stan Teikiela), #69-Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada ( Gleason, Cronquist), #82-The Secrets of Wild Flowers (Sanders), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences |
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