Jack in the Pulpit (Arisaema atrorubens)

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema atrorubens) is a unique wildflower (also called Indian Turnip because the root is shaped like a turnip) and is a member of the Arum family. There are several species of jack-in-the-pulpits, and they all look about the same with the little jacks peering out of the pulpits. We have the woodland type in this area and they spread rapidly anywhere the soil is moist. We have both the red and white varieties, but there are always more red than white. This year we have a giant white “volunteer” specimen at the edge of one of my gardens that is nearly four feet high and still growing. If the soil where they grow is very rich and has a lot of moisture, jack-in-the-pulpits can grow to be three feet tall or more. Under less desirable conditions they will stay at around ten to twelve inches high.

What is commonly called the jack is actually a spadix, and the hood is a spathe. The true flowers of this plant are not seen because they are at the very base of the spadix, inside the spathe. The leaves are large and tower above the jack itself. Each large leaf is divided into three smaller leaflets. In late summer, both the jack and the hood dry up and a seed pod that looks like a cluster of green berries appears in their place. The berries ripen into a brilliant red by early fall and are thought to be poisonous if ingested, so I try to pick the seed pods off as soon as they appear.

Filed Under Wildflowers, Plants in my Gardens