Arisaema triphyllum
(Jack in the Pulpit)

Other pictures of this plant:


               Seedpod                                           Leaf                                            Stem                                        Seed                                          Habit

Facts About this Plant:

    Common Names: Jack in the Pulpit, Bog Onion, Brown Dragon, Indian Turnip, American Wake Robin, Wild Turnip
    Lifespan: Perennial
    Zones: 4 - 9
    Type: Forb
    Bloom Time: March - June
    Status: Native
    Range:

Arisaema triphyllum, or Jack in the Pulpit, is native to most of the eastern United States. It grows in moist or dry open woods, as well as woodland edges. It blooms in early to mid spring, with flowers that can be either green or brown.


This is quite a unique genus, with only two species in the US, and the only other plants that really look anything like these are from Asia, so they are easy to identify. Additionally, the two in the US are also easily distinguished - Arisaema triphyllum often has brown flowers, but it can have green as well, as depicted above. Either way, the spadix - the large spike in the middle of the flower - is entirely enclosed by the spathe - the leaf-like sheath outside. Additionally, the plant has only three leaves. However, in Arisaema dracontium, the flower is always green and the yellow spadix extends well outside the spathe, and it has several groups of compound leaves, with many more than three leaves. See photos below for comparison.

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