We’re very happy to offer some native, home-grown Jack-in-the-Pulpits in 4″ pots – (Arisaema triphyllum), but not as happy as Peter, our container grower, who collected the seed here near our pond and has been watching these grow into a saleable size for the last three years!
Arisaema are perennials that grow from onion-like corms which can be very long-lived (100 year old plants are apparently common). The corms have one or two stems with a trio of bright-green leaves. The spathe, or ‘pulpit’, is green with brown-maroon vertical stripes which covers the spadix, or ‘Jack’, inside.
Interesting to know, their sex changes depending on how many nutrients the corm contains, switching from male to female throughout their lifetime, hence the name Jack/Jill-in-the-Pulpit depending on which stage it’s in. The female stage will develop the bright red seed cluster you’ve noticed in fall. Young plants tend to be males until they’ve received enough food to produce the seed. The females tend to be the taller ones growing sometimes 15″+.
They’ll thrive in moist, shady woodland conditions especially along streams and bogs and can tolerate areas that occasionally fill with water. Give them what they need and they’ll thrive for years to come!