Demystifying Jack-in-the-pulpits

摘要

These woodland dwellers are easier to grow than you might think. My fascination with Jack-in-the-pulpits began when I was a child growing up in Minnesota. The banks and woodlands surrounding Clear Lake near my home were carpeted with wildflowers like lady slippers, Virginia bluebells, and native Jack-in-the-pulpits. Of all the flowers I encountered in the woodland, none intrigued me more than the mysterious Jack-in-the-pulpits. I was drawn to the tale of a tiny man named Jack who lived inside the plant, but I didn't know then that the common name Jack-in-the-pulpit describes the unusual flower structure. Jack is actually the spadix, or flowering spike, and his pulpit is the spathe, or the bract that encloses the inflorescence. Although he disappeared each fall as the plants went dormant, I looked forward to Jack ascending his pulpit again in the spring. Today I grow not only the native Jackin-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) I knew from childhood, but also some wonderfully unusual Asian species,including ones with pastel-striped spathes (Arisaema candidissimum), splotched leaves (Arisaema sikokianum), and speckled petioles (Arisaema taiwanense). With their uncommon flowers and spectacular leaves, both native and Asian Arisaema species are the most admired plants in my garden.