Arisaema dracontium
Encyclopedia
Arisaema dracontium is a herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Arisaema
and the family Araceae
. It is native to North America from Quebec to Minnesota South to Florida and Texas, where it is found growing in damp woods. Plants grow 20–50 cm tall when in bloom and after flowering reach 100 cm, they grow from a corm
. Normally a single leaf is produced with long petioles
, the leaf is composed of 7 to 13 leaflets with the center leaflet the largest and leaflets becoming smaller as they are produced on the outside surface, the leaflets are held out horizontally over the plant. During flowering in spring a single, slender, green spathe 3 to 6 cm long is produced that covers a tapering, long thin spadix
. The tall like spadix grows out around the top of the spathe. After flowering, up to 150 berries are produced in a club shaped column. In late summer the green berries turn orange-red, each berry produces 1 to 3 seeds. It is listed as a vulnerable species in Canada.
(jack-in-the-pulpit), which is in a different section of Arisaema.
Arisaema
Arisaema is a genus of about 150 species in the flowering plant family Araceae, native to eastern and central Africa, Asia and eastern North America. Its species are often called Cobra lilies, particularly the Asiatic species...
and the family Araceae
Araceae
Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...
. It is native to North America from Quebec to Minnesota South to Florida and Texas, where it is found growing in damp woods. Plants grow 20–50 cm tall when in bloom and after flowering reach 100 cm, they grow from a corm
Corm
A corm is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat ....
. Normally a single leaf is produced with long petioles
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
, the leaf is composed of 7 to 13 leaflets with the center leaflet the largest and leaflets becoming smaller as they are produced on the outside surface, the leaflets are held out horizontally over the plant. During flowering in spring a single, slender, green spathe 3 to 6 cm long is produced that covers a tapering, long thin spadix
Spadix
In botany, a spadix is a type of spike inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem. Spadix are typical of the Family Araceae known as arums or aroids...
. The tall like spadix grows out around the top of the spathe. After flowering, up to 150 berries are produced in a club shaped column. In late summer the green berries turn orange-red, each berry produces 1 to 3 seeds. It is listed as a vulnerable species in Canada.
Classification
Within the genus Arisaema, A. dracontium is classified in the section Tortuosa and is most closely related to the Mexican A. macrophyllum. In fact, A. macrophyllum has sometimes been considered a subspecies of A. dracontium. The rest of the section contains species from east Asia and India. A. dracontium is not a close relative to the other American Arisaema species, A. triphyllumArisaema triphyllum
Arisaema triphyllum is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a corm. It is a highly variable species typically growing from 30 to 65 cm in height with three parted leaves and flowers contained in a spadix that is covered by a hood...
(jack-in-the-pulpit), which is in a different section of Arisaema.