Arisaema triphyllum
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a bold, spring woodland wildflower. Its flower structure consists of the spadix (Jack) which is an erect spike containing numerous, tiny, green to purple flowers and the sheath-like spathe (pulpit) which encases the lower part of the spadix and then opens to form a hood extending over the top of the spadix. The outside of the spathe is usually green or purple and the inside is usually striped purple and greenish white. Two large green, compound, leaves divided into three leaflets each, rise from a single stalk and provide umbrella-like shade to the flower. Like other spring ephemerals, most plants in a colony will go dormant and vanish by mid-summer, but the mature plant will produce a cluster of red berries in mid to late summer.
Additional Information:
Roots contain calcium oxalate (same chemical as in Diffenbachia or Dumb Cane) and are poisonous.
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USDA Hardiness Zone 4-9
Home Owner Growing and Maintenance Tips:
Good Companions
Virginia Bluebells
(Mertensia virginica),
Ostrich Fern
(Matteucia struthiopteris),
Celandine Poppy
(Stylophorum diphyllum)
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USFS MO Ecological Map |