The jack-in-the-pulpit is an unusual plant because it may change gender when pollinated by flies and gnats. It is native to Eastern North America and thrives in damp woodlands and thickets, attracting birds. When consumed, the oxalic acid in this plant is poisonous.
| Common name | Jack in The Pulpit |
| Botanical name | Arisaema triphyllum |
| Family | Araceae |
| Species | triphyllum |
| Origin | Central & E. Canada to Central & E. U.S.A |
| Life cycle | Perennial |
| Plant type | Herbaceous Perennial |
| Hardiness zone | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Sunlight | Deep shade |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Soil condition | High Organic Matter |
| Soil ph | Acid |
| Drainage | Well-Drained |
| Growth rate | Medium |
| Spacing | Less than 12 in. |
| Harvest time | Fall |
| Flowering period | Spring |
| Height | 1 ft. – 2 ft. 6 in. |
| Width | 1 ft. – 2 ft. 6 in. |
| Flower color | Brown, Copper |
| Leaf color | Green |
| Fruit color | Burgundy, Red |
| Fruit type | Berry |
| Fruit benefit | Showy |
| Leaf benefit | Showy |
| Flower benefit | Showy |
| Garden style | Cottage Garden |
| Uses | Naturalized Area |
I. Appearance and Characteristics
Arisaema triphyllum, the Jack-in-the-pulpit, is a species of flowering plant in the arum family Araceae. It is a member of the Arisaema triphyllum complex, a group of four or five closely related taxa in eastern North America. The specific name triphyllum means “three-leaved”, a characteristic feature of the species, which is also referred to as Indian turnip, bog onion, and brown dragon.
Used without qualification, the name Arisaema triphyllum is ambiguous. For clarity, the qualified name Arisaema triphyllum sensu stricto (abbreviated s.s.) refers to the species while Arisaema triphyllum sensu lato refers to the species complex. The latter includes the species (Arisaema triphyllum) among its members.
Arisaema triphyllum sensu lato is wide-ranging across eastern North America, from Nova Scotia to Manitoba in eastern Canada, and from Texas to Florida in the southern United States. It is common throughout most of its range.
The Arisaema triphyllum complex includes four closely related species: Arisaema pusillum, Arisaema stewardsonii, Arisaema quinatum, and Arisaema triphyllum sensu stricto. A fifth species (Arisaema acuminatum) is sometimes included but its validity is controversial.
Arisaema triphyllum sensu lato is a herbaceous, perennial, flowering plant growing from a corm. It typically grows up to two feet (61 cm) tall, but populations in Georgia and Florida are known to reach almost twice that height. It has 1 or 2 leaves, each with three leaflets (triphyllum). Occasionally the lateral leaflets will be two-parted or lobed, giving the appearance of five leaflets per leaf. One species (A. quinatum) typically has five pseudo-leaflets per leaf.
The small, inconspicuous flowers of Jack-in-the-pulpit are borne on a fleshy, spike-like inflorescence called a spadix (“Jack”), which is enclosed (or nearly enclosed) by a large, sometimes colorful bract called a spathe (“pulpit”). The flowers are clustered around the base of the spadix inside the spathe. A sterile spadix appendix protrudes from the mouth of the spathe tube. The appendix is covered by the leafy tip of the spathe, referred to as the spathe hood (or spathe lamina). The lip along the mouth of the spathe tube, used as a landing platform for winged insects, is called the spathe flange.
The inflorescence can be male (with male flowers only), bisexual (with both male and female flowers), or female (with female flowers only). Arisaema is quite unusual in that individuals change sex in a pattern determined by their size. In a small plant, most if not all of the flowers are male. As the plant matures and grows larger, the spadix produces female flowers as well as male flowers. The transition from male to female continues until eventually the plant produces female flowers only. This is an example of dichogamy, a rare phenomenon in flowering plants. Due to this sex-change lifecycle, this species is sometimes called colloquially as Jack or Jill in the pulpit or Jill-in-the-pulpit.
The unripe fruits are smooth, shiny green berries (each 1 cm wide) clustered around the thickened spadix. Fruits ripen in the late summer and early fall, turning a conspicuous bright red color. Each berry typically produces 1–5 seeds, which are white to light tan, rounded, often with flattened edges and a short sharp point at the top. If the seeds are freed from the berry, they will germinate the next spring, producing seedlings each with a single rounded leaf. A seedling needs three or more years of growth before it becomes mature enough to flower.
Arisaema pusillum, Arisaema stewardsonii, and Arisaema quinatum are diploid with 28 chromosomes. Arisaema triphyllum s.s. is predominantly tetraploid with 56 chromosomes but plants otherwise indistinguishable from typical A. triphyllum occasionally have 28 chromosomes. Two such plants were found in Cayuga County, New York in the 1940s. The evolutionary origin of the tetraploid is unknown.
The oxalic acid in jack-in-the-pulpit is poisonous if ingested. The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals as raphides in all parts, and because of this, consumption of the raw plant material results in a powerful burning sensation. It can cause irritation of the mouth and digestive system and (on rare occasions) intense swelling of the mouth and throat, potentially being severe enough to affect breathing. Arisaemas are in the same plant family as the anthuriums, aglaonemas, alocasias, colocasias, dieffenbachias, monsteras and philodendrons (among numerous others)— all known as “dumb-canes”—and carry the shared side-effect of an inflamed upper respiratory/digestive system upon ingestion.
II. How to Grow and Care
Sunlight
Some shade is an absolute must for Jack-in-the-pulpit. The plant performs well even in deep shade. Avoid too much direct sunlight at all costs.
Temperature and Humidity
Jack-in-the-pulpit is reliably hardy in zones 4a to 9a, provided it gets the damp, humid conditions it craves. Try to provide the moist, boggy environment that gives the plant one of its common names—bog onion. During the growing season, it likes moderate conditions that avoid temperature extremes.
Watering
Jack-in-the-pulpit grows best in moist soil with consistent watering. Outdoor plants survive well from rainfall, but if your plant is wilting or displays curling leaves, it could use a thorough watering. Add a layer of mulch around your plants to lock in extra moisture and protect roots.
Soil
These wildflowers do not demand the superb drainage that many plants do, making them an option for boggy soils. The idea is to mimic the native habitat, which is damp, acidic areas of the forest that are rich in organic matter.
Fertilizing
Jack-in-the-pulpit will display more vibrant blossoms and perky foliage when fertilizer is added to the soil. Work compost or manure into the soil at planting or before the spring growing season. In the spring, you can add an all-purpose fertilizer for flowers and bulbs, followed by monthly applications of a balanced fertilizer. Cease fertilization during the dormant season.
Propagation
The quickest way to propagate new plants is by splitting off the cormlets that form alongside the parent roots. Here’s how to do it:
- In the fall when the plants have just entered dormancy, dig up the entire root clump, using a shovel or trowel. (Wear gloves to avoid skin contact.)
- Break or cut off the offsets that have formed alongside the main corm or tuber.
- Immediately replant the pieces (as well as the parent corm) in humus-rich soil in a location with light shade.
- Water well, then cover the planted pieces with mulch for the winter.
How to Grow from Seed
Jack-in-the-pulpit seeds need to be cold-stratified to germinate. This means keeping them damp in sphagnum moss, in a refrigerator, for at least 60 days. Then, sow them in a flat filled with soilless commercial potting mix and keep the flat in a cool, damp place. Germination should take two to three weeks. Continue growing seedlings in the flat for two years before transplanting them into individual pots or into the garden. Correct watering is critical, as too much water will cause the seedlings to rot, while too little will also kill them.
Started from seed, Jack-in-the-pulpit will require as much as five years before they reach flowering maturity.
Overwintering
Don’t feel compelled to clean up fallen leaves and plant debris from the area where Jack-in-the-pulpit is growing. This decaying material is essential to providing the plant with the nutrients and soil moisture it needs. Jack-in-the-pulpit is perfectly hardy in its established range (zones 4a to 9a) and requires no protection against winter cold.
Pests and Diseases
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
While not a destination for most pests and diseases, Jack-in-the-pulpit is a favorite for slugs. This is easily remedied by placing a small dish of beer in your garden and letting the slugs crawl in for a drink.
Common Problems With Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Most problems with Jack-in-the-pulpit arise because gardeners have trouble providing it with the consistent moisture it needs. Dry conditions will quickly cause the plant to go dormant, often before the plant has a chance to flower. Make sure your Jack-in-the-pulpit plants are getting enough water and are properly mulched to maintain soil moisture. This is not a plant well-suited to dry shade—it wants a dampish environment, such as that found in low-lying, boggy areas of a rainy forest floor.
III. Uses and Benefits
If the plant is cooked it can be eaten as a root vegetable. The calcium oxalate crystals produce a peppery flavor. If the plant is sliced then dried it can be eaten like potato chips or ground into a flour.
A preparation of the root was reported to have been used by Native Americans as a treatment for sore eyes. Preparations were also made to treat rheumatism, bronchitis, and snakebites, as well as to induce sterility.
One account from the Meskwaki people states that they would chop the herb’s corm and mix it with meat and leave the meat out for their enemies to find. The taste of the oxalate would not be detectable because of the flavored meat, but consuming the meat reportedly caused their enemies pain and death. They have also reportedly used it to determine the fate of the sick by dropping a seed in a cup of stirred water; If the seed went around four times clockwise, the patient would recover, if it went around less than four times they would not.
