Dragon plant
Arisaema consanguineum

Family: Araceae

What it is like

A herb which keeps growing from year to year. It is about 1 m high. It has a tuber. The plant has a single leaf with many leaflets. These have a long thin tail. The leaflets radiate out and there are 11-21 leaflets. The leaflets can be 40 cm long. The leaf stalk is 80 cm long. It often has dark spots. The bract around the flower is pink. It is slightly hooded. It can be 8-15 cm long. The flower forms a long green fleshy stalk with a long tail at the end. It can be 3 cm long.

There are about 150-170 Arisaema species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. In Nepal it grows at 1600-2800 m altitude. It grows in most areas in subtropical forests. It is frost hardy. It suits hardiness zones 6-9.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The leaves are boiled and eaten as a vegetable. Caution: Like all plants in the Araceae family it can contain calcium oxalate.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable

How it is grown

It is grown from corms.

Its other names

Local names

Kal, Raksya banko, Saru-bsein, Wa-kya

Synonyms

Arisaema vituperatum Schott;