Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum – Native Plant of the Week

Introduction

Arisaema triphyllum is easily one of my favorite eastern forest plants. Of course, I have many many favorites, but this one is so much a favorite of mine it is going to be one of my next tattoos! It has beautiful shiny foliage and unique flowers contained in an often colorful spathe. Arisaema triphyllum is a monocot of the Araceae family, an interesting family whose flowers are all tiny little flowers borne on a dense spadix and often enclosed in a colorful bract (modified leaf) known as a spathe. It is hard to misidentify it for anything else when it is in flower in mid-spring on the forest floor.

Description of Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum

Stem & Leaves

Herbaceous perennial 30-65 cm tall arising from a corm (underground storage organ).

Arisaema triphyllum has one or two large glossy leaves on long petioles (leaf stalks) 30-65 cm high. Each leaf is 8-15 cm long and 3-7 cm wide and is divided into three entire (not toothed) leaflets whose margins may be smooth or slightly undulate (wavy). The presence of 3 leaflets makes it commonly mistaken for poison ivy before it flowers.

Flowers & Fruits

The unique flower of Arisaema triphyllum blooms on a separate stalk from the leaves from March to June, depending on the location, elevation, aspect, etc. It is produced on a spadix (spike) of many tiny flowers enclosed in a spathe (a large bract that encloses the spadix) that usually folds over the spadix like a hood. At first, the flowers are all male and located on the upper part of the spadix, but as they mature, they often become hermaphroditic, with female flowers appearing on the lower part of the spadix. The spadix and spathe may be green or purple or green and purple striped.

Specimens that remain male-only die back to their corm in summer, but specimens that become hermaphrodites go on to produce clusters of bright red, somewhat oval-shaped berries on their spadix.

Toxicity

All parts of the plant are considered poisonous as they contain calcium oxalate and will seriously irritate the mouth and digestive tract if eaten. Handling the corms with bare hands can irritate the skin.

Similar Species Frequently Confused With

It is difficult to misidentify the Arisaema genus when in flower. However, before it flowers, it is often confused with a number of unrelated species.

• Panax quinquefolius American Ginseng grows to similar heights and has a similar range. However, it generally has 3 long-stalked leaves from a rhizome, and each leaf is toothed and divided into 5 leaflets rather than smooth and divided into 3 leaflets. It also produces clusters of red berries aiding in the mistaken identification, but when in flower, this species has umbels of numerous small white flowers rather than a spathe and spadix.
• Toxicodendron radicans Poison Ivy occupies the entire range of Arisaema triphyllum, and then some, and it too has compound leaves with 3 leaflets of similar shape and size. However, it grows more like a vine or a straggly shrub leaning on other plants for support, growing to over 1 m tall. Furthermore, its stems are often a pink or reddish color, and they have multiple racemes of tiny white flowers growing from the leaf axils.
• Symplocarpus foetidus Eastern Skunk Cabbage also shares a similar range and is sometimes mistaken for Arisaema simply because of the spathe and spadix. However, skunk cabbage spathe and spadix are much larger, very odorous, and surrounded by very large simple (not compound) leaves arising directly from the ground rather than on stalks.
• Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple has lobed leaves that are much larger and not divided into individual leaflets. It also has a single large white flower that appears below its leaves, and it produces a single large round fruit.

Arisaema triphyllum is recognized as a highly variable species, and many disagree with the number of variants and subspecies . This is further confounded by a high degree of hybridization with Arisaema dracontium. The subspecies or variants typically vary however in small degrees on the size of the spadix and spathe and the degree of fluting of the spathe. Identification to the species level alone is sufficient in most cases. There are two other Arisaema species in their range, however, that vary more significantly, and they can be differentiated as follows:

• Arisaema dracontium shares the same range as Arisaema triphyllum but can easily be differentiated by its leaves with 7 or 8 leaflets all arising on the same side of a curved petiole and by its much smaller spadix enclosed in a much thinner spathe that tapers to a very long extended and thin point that goes well beyond the spadix.
• Arisaema quinatum has a flower that looks much more similar to Arisaema triphyllum, but it has leaves divided into 5 instead of 3 leaflets. It also has a narrow range, found only in the southeastern part of the USA.

Distribution of Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum

Jack-in-the-Pulpit is a northeastern North American species.

In Canada, Arisaema triphyllum is found in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

In the USA, Arisaema triphyllum is found throughout the entire eastern half of the USA, from North Dakota south to Texas, and all states east of that. It is only found in the far eastern sections of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas and is absent from the plains regions of those states.

Arisaema triphyllum is not found in Mexico. It is only as far south as eastern Texas.

Habitat & Growing Conditions of Jack-in-the-Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum

Jack-in-the-Pulpits are found in moist to wet woodlands, forest edges, and meadows with partial shade. While they will grow in a variety of conditions, they thrive best in moist shady forests with a seasonal wet period.

They require a high amount of water and prefer moist, humus-rich soil with a significant leaf litter layer. While they will grow in sunny conditions, they perform best in part to full shade.

Growing Jack-in-the-Pulpit in Your Garden

Arisaema triphyllum is an easy-to-grow native perennial that requires little to no maintenance, providing the conditions are suitable. Make sure that the chosen location in your garden is similar to what it grows in its natural environment. If you have shaded to partially shaded woods with leaf litter, that would be ideal. Otherwise, growing in shade or partial shade will work as well but be sure to amend the soil with lots of organic matter and top dress with leaf litter.

Propagate by root division by separating the cormlets (baby corms) from the parent corm in the fall. Alternatively, you can grow it from seeds collected from mature fruits in late August or September. Seeds may take up to 2 years to germinate. To grow from seed, remove them from the pulpy berries collected in late summer and stratify them in moist moss placed in the fridge for a minimum of 60 days before planting in the late fall, placing them approximately 1.75 cm deep in the soil. Alternatively, they can be sown early the following spring.

Wildlife Values of Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Native birds and mammals will eat the berries. They are not recommended for human consumption, however, due to the presence of calcium oxalate crystals that will seriously irritate the mouth and digestive tract if ingested.

Native gnats and flies routinely visit the flowers and are the primary pollinators.

Status of Arisaema triphyllum

Arisaema triphyllum is considered Globally Secure, G5.

In Canada, Jack-in-the-Pulpit is considered Locally Secure S5 in Ontario and New Brunswick, Apparently Secure S4 in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and Critically Imperilled S1 in Manitoba. It is unranked in Quebec.

In the USA, Arisaema triphyllum is considered Locally Secure S5 in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. It is considered Apparently Secure S4 in Iowa. In all other states where it is found, its status is not yet determined.

Arisaema triphyllum is not found in Mexico.

Traditional or Other Uses of Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Arisaema triphyllum Medicinal Uses

The Cherokee used a poultice of the root for headaches, boils, ringworm, and diseases of the skin. They also used it for colds and coughs and as a carminative, expectorant, liniment, and diaphoretic. The Chippewa used a decoction of the roots for an eyewash, and the Iroquois steamed the roots for sore eyes. Iroquois also used it internally for headaches, pains, cramps, diarrhea, colds, tuberculosis, and as a febrifuge and a blood medicine to induce temporary sterility in women. Iroquois used it externally in a liniment for sore joints, bruises, and lameness and in a snuff for catarrh. Choctaw also used it as a blood medicine.

The Malecite and Micmac used it in a poultice for abscesses, pains, and boils. The Menominee and Ojibwa used a poultice for sore eyes and the Menominee in a lip incision to ward against witchcraft. The Meskwaki used a powdered form of the root as a poison, sedative, and snakebite treatment and in ceremonies to predict recovery or death. Mohegan is also used it for pain in small doses, poison in larger doses, and diluted as a gargle for sore throats. The Pawnee used the powdered root as an analgesic and anti-rheumatic and used the seeds in gourd shells as a rattle.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit as an Ornamental

With its unique flowers, Arisaema triphyllum is often a popular garden ornamental and is planted in temperate gardens throughout North America.

Ethical Wildcrafting of Arisaema triphyllum

Check the status in your state before harvesting since it is imperiled in some areas. See the above section on Status. Alternatively, grow it in your garden for unique flowers.

If you are harvesting Arisaema triphyllum from the wild, as always, use the 1 in 20 rule of Ethical Wildcrafting. Pick one in every 20 flowers, leaves, or plants that you see. If you are harvesting cormlets to propagate simply pick one out of 20 plants, dig up the corm, and harvest the baby corms from the parent corm. Then be sure to replant the parent corm so that it can grow the following year again.

Wildcrafting and Processing

Picked roots can be placed in a basket, bowl, or paper bag and brought home for processing. If you are harvesting multiple products on the same day, be sure to label the roots in a paper bag so that you do not confuse different plants. Wear gloves when harvesting due to the poisonous side effects of the plant, especially its roots.

To dry the corms or cormlets, brush off the dirt and place them on a drying rack to dry. If you harvested them to grow in your garden, do not dry them. Instead, simply plant them in your garden right away, about 3 cm deep.

Once dried, corms can be stored in a jar for later use. Label your jar with the species’ name and the date of harvest. I also usually add the location of the harvest for my own reference. Do not grind or crush the roots until you are ready to use them to keep them as fresh as possible and preserve their medicinal properties. When you pre-grind, even if stored in glass jars, this increases the oxidation rate and rapidly degrades the medicinal properties so that they are rendered ineffective in a shorter amount of time than if left as whole as possible.

References and Resources

Canadensys Plant Search https://data.canadensys.net/vascan/search

Dictionary of Botanical Terms – by Lyrae’s Nature Blog https://lyraenatureblog.com/blog/dictionary-of-botanical-terms/

eflora.org on Arisaema triphyllum http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=222000013

iNaturalist Plant Search https://www.inaturalist.org/home

IUCN Red List https://www.iucnredlist.org/

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Arisaema triphyllum https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=artr

Native American Ethnobotany http://naeb.brit.org/

NatureServe Explorer https://explorer.natureserve.org/Search

USDA Plants Database https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home

Willis, Lyrae (Unpublished).  Plant Families of North America. 

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