Jack-in-the-Pulpit
One of the many delights of spring is seeing Jack-In-the-Pulpit plants popping up and showing off their strange beauty. They are perennial plants that bloom in undisturbed woodland areas so you might see them if you go walking in April. Their Jack-in-the-Pulpit name comes from a time when a preacher in a pulpit was called a Jack. The pulpit is the shape of the spathe that resembles an old fashioned elevated pulpit with a hood over it. T his plant has a flower but it is not the obvious pulpit-shaped leaf. The tiny flowers are down at the bottom of that tube. The Latin family name for Jack and his close relatives is Arisaema and one of them is native to our region. They thrive in moist, acidic soil where hard wood trees grow. When the flowers mature, woodland animals usually eat them before they can fall onto the ground and create more plants. Arisaema triphyllum has a bright green and purple striped pulpit. One of the common names for it is Indian Turnip. The pa...