Jack In The Pulpit, Dragonroot, Indian Turnip
Arisaema triphyllum
Family: Araceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Green, Purple, White Main Bloom Time: Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Upright or erect.
Arisaema triphyllum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. It is in flower from June to July. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). and is pollinated by Flies. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Wet woods, bogs and swamps.
Eastern N. America - Quebec to Louisiana and Kansas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Tuber - it must be thoroughly dried or cooked before being eaten. The roots can be cut into very thin slices and allowed to dry for several months, after which they are eaten like potato chips, crumbled to make a cereal or ground into a cocoa-flavoured powder for making biscuits, cakes etc. They can also be pounded into a powder, this is thern left to dry for several weeks when it becomes safe to use. The root is up to 5cm long and 2cm wide. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The root is acrid, antiseptic, diaphoretic, expectorant, irritant and stimulant. It is harvested in early spring and dried for later use. The fresh root is considered to be too dangerous and intensely acrid to use, whilst the dried roots become inactive, so fresh, partially dried roots are used. Due to the potentially toxic nature of this plant, it should only be used internally under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. The root was applied as a poultice on headaches, scrofulous sores, rheumatism, boils, abscesses and ringworm. A decoction of the root has been used as a wash for sore eyes. The root was used as a contraceptive by the N. American Indians. One teaspoonful of the dried powdered root in cold water was said to prevent conception for a week whilst two teaspoonfuls in hot water was said to induce permanent sterility.
Acrid: Causes heat and irritation when applied to the skin.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.
Contraceptive: Prevents fertilization occurring in females.
Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.
Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.
Irritant: Causes irritation or abnormal sensitivity in living tissue.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Other
Rating: 2
A starch obtained from the roots is used as a stiffener for clothes. It is very harsh to the hands, causing blisters and swellings. The seeds have been used in rattles.
Musical: Specific mention of plants used as musical instruments. Does not include the various woods that can be used for making musical instruments.
Starch: Used as a fabric stiffener.
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Massing, Woodland garden. Prefers a cool peaty soil in the bog garden, woodland garden or a sheltered border in semi-shade. Prefers a loamy or peaty soil and will tolerate a sunny position if the soil is moist but not water-logged and the position is not too hot or exposed. Tubers should be planted about 10cm deep. Only plant out full sized tubers and mulch them with organic matter in the winter. Plants need protection from slugs. Most species in this genus are dioecious, but they are sometimes monoecious and can also change sex from year to year. Special Features: Attracts birds, Attractive foliage, North American native, Naturalizing, All or parts of this plant are poisonous, Wetlands plant.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame. Stored seed remains viable for at least a year and can be sown in spring in the greenhouse but it will probably require a period of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 6 months at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least a coupe of years until the corms are more than 20mm in diameter. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst they are dormant. Division of tubers when the plant dies down in late summer.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-9
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
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 but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping it in water.
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
A. atrorubens. Blume. Arum triphyllum.