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Jack-in-the-pulpit is iconic and unmistakable wildflower. Plants are 1-2' tall; they don't flower until at least 3 years old. Each plant has a single upright stalk (a.k.a., the peduncle) that produces the inflorescence; the stalk develops directly from an underground storage organ, the corm. The inflorescences are light green to reddish green, often with reddish-brown stripes. The outermost spathe wraps loosely around the robust, cylindrical spadix; the top of the spathe bends 90° to form a hood (the "pulpit") over the spadix ("Jack"). The top half of the spadix produces volatile compounds that attract small insects, especially fungus gnats; the insects carry the pollen between plants. The bottom half of the spadix bears highly reduced florets. Both male and female florets lack petals; male florets consist of four stamens while female florets consist only of a stigma attached directly to the top of the ovary. Each plant typically has EITHER male or female florets located on the bottom half of the spadix; a single plant usually produces only one sex of florets in a given season, but plants switch between male and female multiple times during their ~20 year lifespan (they are "sequential hermaphrodites").

Arisaema

Arisaema triphyllum

Jack-in-the-pulpit [Blooms: Apr-Jun]