Arisaema
(Jack-in-the-Pulpit & Friends)
Also sometimes Cobra Lilies, Arisaemas shouldn't be confused with the carnivorous plant Darlingtonia, which also bears that common name. Arisaemas are not carnivorous, but one could be forgiven for thinking they look ready to eat something. They are Aroids, that is, members of the family Araceae, so the actual flowers are inside the hooded spathe, just as they are in its relatives, Calla Lily, Skunk Cabbage, and Philodendron. Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a well-known American wildflower, but there are many other species, mostly larger, and mostly in Asia. May be shipped as dormat tubers early and late in the year.
Arisaema candidissimum
Most Arisaemas are strange and interesting, but not necessarily pretty in the classic sense. Arisaema candidissimum, pictured above, is both, and also the sweetest-smelling of the Arisaemas in our experience. The 3" pink-striped white spathe sets it apart from its cousins. The plant grows to about 16", with the flower being followed by a single large leaf with 3 broad leaflets reminiscent of fat Trillium leaves. Our tubers are perhaps a couple of years from flowering, but are half the price of any others we can find. Only a very few are available this year. Zone 6.
Arisaema concinnum is an elegant but robust stoloniferous species that should reach 3' and may grow to 5' and form a patch. Purple and white-striped spathes have long, narrow tips. An easily-grown species from the eastern Himalayas, Tibet, and China, and hardy to zone 6.
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Arisaema costatum A dark beauty to 3' in height, with a very large, 3-lobed leaf that can be 3' wide and ribbed on the underside. The spathe is dark maroon with white stripes and has a short tail (flagellum), while the spadix has quite a long tail. Leaves and flowers unfurl together in late spring or summer. Nepal, southern Tibet, India. Zone 7, possibly zone 6.
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Arisaema draconitum -- Green Dragon -- The larger and lesser known of the two American species, the other being A. triphyllum, Jack-in-the-Pulpit. This one has a long, narrow, green spathe with a long, yellow, tail-like spadix that can be twice the length of the spathe.
Arisaema galeatum has a helmet-like spathe with green and white stripes. It blooms near the ground, then continues getting taller, to about a foot. The tuber is quite large. Native to much of the Himalayas, zone 5.
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Arisaema griffithii -- Cobra Lily -- From high altitude in Nepal, this purple and white-striped inflorescence is perhaps the most cobra-like of the genus. Grows to 3-6'. Needs a cool, well-drained position in light shade. Zones 5-7.
Arisaema nepenthoides is a Himalayan Cobra Lily from southwest China and Nepal. It's a big one, to 3- 4', with a slender spathe that is striped green, pink, and brown. The spathe is wide-mouthed and open, offering a good view of the spadix, which may hold either male or female sex organs, depending, among other things, on the age of the plant. The petiole (stalk) is pink and brown mottled. Leaves follow the flower, and sit behind it like wings. Great, a flying cobra. Zone 7, some say 6b.
Photo: Chris Grey-Wilson
Arisaema tortuosum occupies an extensive range in the Himalayan foothills of India and China, and so is quite variable. It may be anywhere from 2-6' tall, with spathe colors from solid green to purple, with stripes in between. Has two leaves with 5-7 lobes each. Lives in both shaded woods and on open slopes, and forms large clumps. Zone 5
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