Arisaema triphyllum

Arisaema triphyllum: The Native Wildflower That Preaches From Its Own Pulpit

Jack stands in his little striped pulpit every spring and delivers the same sermon to the shade garden: SIT DOWN, I'M THE MAIN EVENT. Come fall, he swaps the pulpit for a cluster of bright red berries, because even preachers need a costume change.

Plant Characteristics:

• Botanical Name: Arisaema triphyllum
• Common Name: Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Indian Turnip
• Height: 30–60 cm (12–24 in)
• Spread: 15–30 cm (6–12 in) per plant, slowly forming small colonies
• Flowers: A hooded green spathe, often striped purple-brown (the pulpit), curving over an upright spadix (Jack)
• Bloom Time: Spring (April to June)
• Foliage: One or two green leaves on tall stalks, each split into three leaflets
• Fruit: Clusters of glossy red berries in late summer and fall on flowering plants
• Features: Native to Ontario and Quebec, deer and rabbit resistant, all parts are toxic if eaten

Where to Plant: Tuck it into a woodland garden, under deciduous trees, beside a shady path or along a moist, shaded stream bank. Plant a few together so the pulpits read as a group, and put them where you'll walk by in spring to peek inside the hoods.

Companion Plants: Plant Jack-in-the-pulpit in a moist, shady native woodland bed with leaf litter left in place. Waldsteinia fragarioides carpets the ground at 10 to 15 cm with bright yellow flowers in May and June. Tiarella cordifolia adds starry white foamflower spikes at 15 to 30 cm in May and June. Osmunda regalis rises behind at 90 to 150 cm, a royal fern for damp ground. Carex grayi adds glossy, light green blades at 60 to 90 cm and spiky, mace-like seed heads from early summer.

Plant Care: Plant in spring or early fall in rich, moist, humus-filled soil that doesn't dry out, in part to full shade. Work in compost or leaf mould and leave fallen leaves in place as mulch. Keep it watered through dry spells, since dry soil sends it dormant early. It needs no deadheading or cutting back; let the foliage fade on its own and leave the berries for the birds. Mark the spot, because it disappears underground by late summer in some years. Wear gloves when handling it: all parts contain crystals that irritate the mouth and skin.

History: Arisaema triphyllum grows wild in moist woods across eastern North America, from Nova Scotia and southern Ontario and Quebec south to Florida. The plant can switch between male and female from year to year depending on how much energy its underground corm has stored, with the biggest, best-fed plants producing the berries.

Final Thoughts: Native, deer resistant and full of surprises from spring to fall. Plant a tray in the shade and let Jack take the stage. THE SERMON STARTS IN APRIL.