Jack in the Pulpit is easily recognizable and is a unique spring ephemeral. The fleshy stalk and leaves lend an almost tropical aura to the plant. This perennial plant is about 1-2′ tall and wide. It loves part to full shade in woodland gardens and moist to wet conditions. Flowering plants initially produce only male flowers, but become hermaphroditic as they further age (male flowers on upper part of the spadix and female on lower part). The plant has light to dark green leaves. The outside of the “hood” is usually green or purple and the inside is usually striped purple/brown/greenish white, though considerable color variations exist. Most plants in a colony will become dormant and vanish by mid-summer, but the mature, flowering plant will produce a cluster of red berries which becomes visible as the spathe withers in mid to late summer.
