Arisaema triphyllum
| Arisaema triphyllum | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Arisaema triphyllum (common name: jack in the pulpit)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame[1]. Stored seed remains viable for at least a year and can be sown in spring in the greenhouse but it will probably require a period of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least a coupe of years until the corms are more than 20mm in diameter. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst they are dormant.
Division of tubers when the plant dies down in late summer.
Cultivation: Prefers a cool peaty soil in the bog garden, woodland garden or a sheltered border in semi-shade[2][1][3]. Prefers a loamy or peaty soil and will tolerate a sunny position if the soil is moist but not water-logged and the position is not too hot or exposed[4][3].
Tubers should be planted about 10cm deep[5]. Only plant out full sized tubers and mulch them with organic matter in the winter[3]. Plants need protection from slugs[3].
Most species in this genus are dioecious, but they are sometimes monoecious and can also change sex from year to year.
Range: Eastern N. America - Quebec to Louisiana and Kansas.
Habitat: Wet woods, bogs and swamps[6].
Edibility: Tuber - it must be thoroughly dried or cooked before being eaten[7][8][9][10][11][12]. The roots can be cut into very thin slices and allowed to dry for several months, after which they are eaten like potato chips, crumbled to make a cereal or ground into a cocoa-flavoured powder for making biscuits, cakes etc[13][14]. They can also be pounded into a powder, this is thern left to dry for several weeks when it becomes safe to use[15]. The root is up to 5cm long and 2cm wide[16]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The root is acrid, antiseptic, diaphoretic, expectorant, irritant and stimulant[8][17][18][19][20]. It is harvested in early spring and dried for later use[16]. The fresh root is considered to be too dangerous and intensely acrid to use, whilst the dried roots become inactive, so fresh, partially dried roots are used[15]. Due to the potentially toxic nature of this plant, it should only be used internally under the supervision of a qualified practitioner[K].
The root was applied as a poultice on headaches, scrofulous sores, rheumatism, boils, abscesses and ringworm[18][20]. A decoction of the root has been used as a wash for sore eyes[20].
The root was used as a contraceptive by the N. American Indians. One teaspoonful of the dried powdered root in cold water was said to prevent conception for a week whilst two teaspoonfuls in hot water was said to induce permanent sterility[15].
Usage: A starch obtained from the roots is used as a stiffener for clothes[21]. It is very harsh to the hands, causing blisters and swellings[21].
The seeds have been used in rattles[20].
Pollinators: Flies
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping
Also Known As: A. atrorubens. Blume. Arum triphyllum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Bulbs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Kavasch, Barrie. Native Harvests. Vintage Books, 1979.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.