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Arisaema triphyllum
Jack-in-the-pulpit, Common Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Bog onion, Brown dragon, Devil's dear, Dragonroot , Indian Jack in the pulpit, Indian Turnip, Memory root, Pepper turnip, Starch wort, Three-leaved indian turnip, Wake robin, Wild turnip

Photo by Homer D. House

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.

Last Updated: July 6, 2021

Key Info

Scientific Name: Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott
Common Names: Jack-in-the-pulpit, Common Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Bog onion, Brown dragon, Devil's dear, Dragonroot , Indian Jack in the pulpit, Indian Turnip, Memory root, Pepper turnip, Starch wort, Three-leaved indian turnip, Wake robin, Wild turnip
Family Name: Araceae
Plant Type: Bog Plants, Herbaceous perennial
Uses: Woodland Garden, Naturalizing, Bog garden, Shady slope, Shade garden, Groundcover (Spring ephemeral)
Light Requirement: Partial/shady, Full Shade
Moisture Requirement: Wet, Medium
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Bloom Times: Mar, Apr
Flower Color: Green, brown, purple, white or brown stripes
Special Characteristics: Toxicity to animals, Deer resistant, Shade tolerant, Tolerates wet conditions, Rhizomatous, Tolerates full shade, Long lived, Tolerates Black Walnuts, Showy fruit (female), Interesting form, Spring ephemeral, Bog plant

Additional Info

Habit: Upright, erect perennial. One to two large, glossy leaves, divided into three leaflets, rise on their own stems. The intriguing blossom of this woodland perennial occurs on a separate stalk at the same height as the leaves. It is a large, cylindrical, hooded flower, green in color with brown stripes. Distinctive "Jack-in-the-pulpit" formation grows beneath large leaves. In late summer, a cluster of bright red berries appear.
Height: 1'-2'
Spread: 1.5'
Growth Rate: Moderate to slow
Soil Conditions: medium to wet, high organic material
Leaves: Jack-in-the-pulpit has one to two leaves, originating at the base of the stem that is divided into three almost equal leaflets. More specifically, two large green, coarse, glossy, compound, long-petioled leaves (1-1.5' long), divided into three leaflets each, emanate upward from a single stalk and provide umbrella-like shade to the flower. The light green to dark green leaflets are up to 7" long and 3" across; they are ovate or broadly rhombic, pinnately veined, glabrous, and smooth along the margins. The terminal leaflet is larger than the lateral leaflets.
Flowers (or reproductive structures): Flower structure consists of the spadix (Jack) which is an erect columnar 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, though considerable color variations exist. The flower is about 3 1/2" long and 2" across. Flowering plants initially produce only male flowers, but become hermaphroditic as they further age (male flowers on upper part of spadix and female on lower part). Pollinators crawl beneath the hooded spathe, down the spadix collecting pollen from the male flowers.
Fruit: If cross-pollination occurs, each fertilized flower will develop a fleshy, bright-red, berry-like fruit about ¼"" across; this fruit contains one or more seeds. Collectively, these fruits can form an ovoid mass up to 2"" long. Displays from June to October. Henry David Thoreau described the “arum’s” fruit as resembling “a very short thick ear of scarlet corn.” The description is very accurate! "
Natural Distribution: Woodlands, shady hillside seeps, swamp, marsh
USDA Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
USDA Wetland Indicator Status in NC: FACW
Pollination: Fungus gnats (Sciaridae and Mycetophilidae) are believed to be the most effective pollinators. They are able to transport more pollen greater distances- essential for Arisaemas, which cannot be self-pollinated.
Wildlife Connections: Fruits eaten by Wild Turkey, Wood Thrush and eastern box turtles.
Pharmacology: The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten.
Cultural Notes: The root is able to be eaten and used medicinally. Great caution due to toxicity. Various Native American tribes used the plant as an analgesic, cold remedy, snake bite remedy, respiratory and gynecological aid. (Native American Ethnobotany database.)
Downside: Does poorly in heavy clay soils. Seeds can take up to five years before flowering. Problem to humans/cats/dogs/horses if eaten-due to being poisonous.
Propagation: Seeds or Cormlets can be separated from the parent corm in fall.
Other Notes: Poisonous. long lived once established 25+ years, best left undisturbed. No serious insect or disease problems. Most plants in a colony will vanish by mid-summer (become dormant), but the mature, hermaphroditic flowering plant will produce a cluster of red berries in mid to late summer which becomes visible as the spathe withers.
USDA/NRCS Plant Distribution Map: View Map at USDA.gov
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Cure Nursery is a small nursery propagating and selling native plants for the Southeastern U.S. We are located near the town of Pittsboro, Chatham County, in central NC.

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