Jack-in-the-pulpit's are native to low damp woods, swamps and boggy areas of the eastern US and Canada, as far west as Minnesota. Often found scattered throughout various terrains in the southern Appalachians, even growing on steep slopes in rich soil. In the wild, they are often found growing in large groups or colonies, near running or spalshing water.

Some common names for this member of the Arum family include: Indian turnip, Lords-and-Ladies, starch plant, bog onion, brown dragon, wild turnip, American Arum, three-leaved arum, swamp turnip, wild pepper, dragon-turnip, devil's-ear, marsh turnip, pepper turnip, meadow turnip, memory root, starchwort and priest's-pintle.

This fairly common woodland wildflower is easily recognized by its three large leaves radiating out from the top of the stalk, and its unusual inflorescence hidden beneath that appears in late May. The spadix and sheath resemble the roofed pulpit sometimes found in European churches and cathedrals. On a separate stalk are three leaves.

There are a variety of colorings to the jack-in-the-pulpit that run from green to purplish-brown on both the jack and the striped pulpit, which is often streaked or mottled. Each plant produces one bloom beneath the leaves on a short stalk. The unique flowers are similar in form to that of the calla lily.

The "jack" is a fleshy green spike (spadix) bearing a number of inconspicuous male and female flowers. The most noticeable part of the bloom is the purpleish curved hood or "pulpit", a modified leaf (spathe) that wraps around and hides the spadix.

Tiny flowers on the spadix may be male, female, or some of each. Female flowers give rise to bright red berries, revealed when the spathe dies and falls away in late summer. This plant starts life male. After 2 years, or longer in poor soil, it turns female, flowers and bears seed.

In late summer the rest of the plant dies away, leaving only the berry-covered stalk. These berries are originally shielded by a thin membrane which is lost before they ripen. The black fruit ripens into a cluster of bright, scarlet-red, shiny berries on the spadix or jack.

The red berries, along with all other parts of the plant, contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate that can cause irritation to sensitive or broken skin when touched, and a burning and swelling of the lips and tongue if eaten.

This burning sensation is immediate and so intense that it is unlikely anyone would manage to swallow the berries; however, if plant parts were swallowed, they could cause a severe irritation of the throat and digestive system that would require medical attention.

    

The one or two dark green, basal leaves with lighter undersides resembles trillium leaves in appearance. The large leaves are three-parted (divided into three almost equal parts), smooth-margined, and net-veined. Each of the three leaflets is ovate from 3 to 6 inches long and from 1½ to 3½ inches wide. Long petioles of the leaves arise from a deeply buried bulb-like stem base.

The underground portion, or corm, is brown in color, shaped like a turnip, and about the size of a walnut. The lower part of the corm is flat and wrinkled, while the upper part is surrounded by coarse wavy rootless. It has an extremely burning taste.

Jack in the Pulpit is tolerant of a wide range of soil pH, from somewhat acidic to somewhat basic (alkaline), and will thrive in dappled to deep shade. The below-ground parts of the plant can be harmed or killed by excess moisture during the winter or early spring. For this plant to thrive, the soil should be high in organic matter.

Incorporate compost, well-rotted manure, peat moss or other organic matter before planting, and mulch the plants with compost, grass clippings or decorative organic mulch, such as cocoa bean shells or pine needles, each year.

American Indians used the plant medicinally for a wide variety ailments. Although one of this plants common names is Indian Turnip, it can only be used for food after boiling and thoroughly drying. Roasting the root after drying it 6 months removes the acridity, but even then, its pungent flavor might make you reconsider.

Certain plants such as Jack-in-the-pulpit and Skunk Cabbage that grow in areas of low light have long crystals of calcium oxalate imbedded in their leaves to better utilize the small amount of light that they receive.

Unfortunately these can be quite painful to anyone attempting to eat them. The only way to render these parts palatable is by thinly slicing and thorough drying. If treated in this way, the corms can be eaten raw like potato chips or ground into a cocoa-like flour.

Collect seeds in early fall from a friend whose Jack in the Pulpit has ripe red berries. Remove the red flesh and plant the seeds immediately; don't let them dry out. Sow the seed outdoors where you want the plants to grow, covering the seeds with ¼ to ½ inch of soil. Seedlings should come up in early spring.

Another method is to refrigerate freshly cleaned seeds in a plastic bag with some moist sand or potting soil for six weeks, then sow the seed in pots. In spring, plant the seedlings outdoors. Once plants become established in a favorable site, they are likely to self-seed.

MOIST, HUMUS RICH, WELL-DRAINED SOIL NOT RECOMMENDED FOR DRY SANDY SOILS FULL TO PART SHADE GROWS 1-2 FEET TALL BLOOMS APRIL - JUNE PROPOGATE BY DIVISION, SEEDS DIRECT SOW SEEDS OUTDOORS IN FALL ALLOW SEEDPODS TO DRY ON PLANT WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING SEEDS ROOTS ARE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF PLANT FRUIT, LEAVES EATEN BY PHEASANT & WILD TURKEY HARDY IN ZONES 4 - 9 (US)

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