Jack in the pulpit

[swords]

I've recently received the standard beginer Jack in the Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum and I'm wondering if it's common for the leaf or the inflorescence to emerge first?

Out of the 4 plants I recived two have leaves one has a "pitcher" which is nearly open with a still closed leaf and the other is still deciding what it wants to send up. I was just wondering, are the two which have their leaves almost unfurled not going to have pitchers this year or do they typically come after the leaf? Is the one with the pitcher first just a freak occurance?

Thanks for any thoughts!

(hmm, perhaps a moderator can change the topic title to Jack in the pulpit II... sorry alandallas

)

 

[swords]

The one which hadn't sent up anything is now sending up both (leaf & inflorescence) at the same time. My uncle said the ones on his property are all variable sending up whatever they feel like.

I didn't know it, but during easter dinner I was discussing my newest plants with my uncle and he said "You bought Jack in the Pulpits? I've got tons of them growing out in the old pine stand, you should have asked me..." I wouldn't have had to buy the ones I did, he says has all different color forms of A. triphyllum. Ah well, ask first then shop I guess! I can't wait til they start coming up and see all the diff forms he has (all natural too none have been moved there). So far mine which have flowered all have a maroon and white striped spathes with purple/black spadixes.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Josh what a coincidence! I just visite my Uncle this past weekend and come home with a LOAD of Arisaema triphyllum from his back yard..also came home with the arums called Skunk Cabbage and 2 red trillums and a dwarf ginseng! All in his backyard! I have 1 green Arisamea, lots of black ones and a mix of balck and green spathes. If the plant is mature, the spathe will come up ahead of the first leaves....these plants has spthes open or still developing and leaves just unfurling. I will put up some pics sometime later.

 

[larry]

Yes yes yes, pics please

 

[swords]

I guess I've got two mature ones and two immature ones. Unluckily for me something attacked, my two mature ones and knocked them over at ground level.
The bulbs I bought from the garden center of A. triphyllum have not yet sprouted whereas all my caladiums and other bulby things have at least sent something up from the ground.
I will have to see my uncle and find out if his have come up yet, perhaps it's too cool in MN yet?
Of the two Skunk cabbages I got off ebay only one looks alive anymore but I guess I'll leave the rhizome of the "dead" one in the big pot I planted them in and see if it comes back next year.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Here are the pics everyone! Larry will surely be interested in these.  

 Josh, I don't think it's too cold! NY the ice age state and they are up out of the ground here...just lookie the pics. I can't say anything for the Skunk cabbage except it's neat hopefully mine will do good in the heavy clay soil I planted it in.

Arisaema triphyllum

Skunk cabbage

 

[swords]

Nice shots NG!

I got that book The Genus Arisaema and it appears that we each have the same species. A. triphyllum 'Zebrinum' though this is not a true cultivar name. A triphyllum is completely variable even in a given location, having an enormous variety of color forms from the same seed pod. The true species is up to 80cm high in old plants, which can live at least 20 years in cultivation.

There are two subspecies which are considered to be "on their way to speciation" these are:

Arisaema triphyllum subsp. pusillum small only 30 cm high, shiny green underside of the leaves and green or purple spathe and not striped on the "limb" (what you and I the nep freaks would call the "lid"). This form lives from PA to NJ alongside sarracenia, D. rotundifolia and the next subspecies...

Arisaema triphyllum subsp. stewardsonii
easilly IDable because the white and green striped spathe tube has deeply engraved stripes actually forming ridges running top to bottom. this one needs saccaenia type soil that never gets dry (during growing season). In nature it grows along with Symplocarpus foetidus (skunk cabbage).

 

[larry]

Ooh, beautiful! I wonder if you ones you sent me will look like the ones in the pics you just posted. Guess I won't find out until at least next year.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Maybe I have both forms.....The purple and white striped on might be spp pusillium and the green one pictured might be stedwardsonii. I don't really care what they are all I am calling them is A. triphyllu purple and white and green and white! lol. I foudn these guys in my Uncles backyard "foresty area" in heavy clayey soil along with the skunk cabbage in a muckier muddy soil.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Check this out! An Arisaema named after a Nepenthes! http://www.paghat.com/arisaemanepenthoides.html

 

[swords]

Dustin,
That's excellent!
The website metions Naga and the cobra god of the hindus, Arisema griffithii is actually the "true" cobra lilly as it's up to  20cm wide hooded spathe truely resembles the scaled black reptilian face of a king cobra flaring and giving the "hypnotic stare". When it is coming up from the ground A. griffithii emerges with two downward folded leaves wihth the inforecence some distance below. It looks just like some black winged creature emerging from the earth.
Here's one emerging, the round part is the "head" (not my plant or pic)

I've got one on order when they come available!  

There is also Arisaema sarracenoides but I can't find a pic online at the moment. I have pics in the Genus Arisaema book, it resembles a pitcher of Sarracenia psittacina, only standing 90* upright. You can't really see the spadix at all.

BTW Heronswood Nursery has A. nepenthoides but only if you go there (Orgeon). Possibly they will have bulbs for mailing in the fall!

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Awesome Josh! And to think I got addicted to these guys when I first saw some of these strange striped cups in the woods one spring hunting turkey's.

 

[larry]

Ooooh, yes, Arisema griffithii !!!
That's on my list of Arisaema's to get.
I also want A. sikkokianum for its elegance and stark contrast in colors. Plus it looks like an alien poking his bald white head out of the pitcher