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- Arisaema triphyllum
Arisaema triphyllum — Jack-in-the-pulpit
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Facts
Jack-in-the-pulpit has leaves with three leaflets, distinguishing it from its congener green-dragon (Arisaema dracontium), which has 5-13 leaflets per leaf. Native Americans used the roots of jack-in-the -pulpit for a large variety of medicinal purposes, especially eye and respiratory conditions. They considered the root very poisonous without careful preparation. There are three subspecies present in New England.
Habitat
Bogs, fens, floodplain (river or stream floodplains), forests, marshes, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade length
- Up to 300 mm
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower petal length
- 0 mm
- Petal fusion
- NA
- Inflorescence type
-
- the inflorescence differs from the choices given
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Fruit length
- 6–15 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Axillary bulblets
- there are no bulblets being produced in axils
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached by its base to the filament
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
- Carpels fused
- NA
- Flower bract length
- 0 mm
- Flower bracts
- there are no bracts associated with the flower
- Flower number
- 3–900
- Flower orientation
- the flowers point upward or spread or curve outward
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower petal length
- 0 mm
- Flower shape
- NA
- Flower symmetry
- NA
- Form of style
- the style is knob-like at the tip, and unbranched
- Fringed petal edges
- NA
- Hairs on flower stalk
- NA
- Inflorescence hair glands
- the axis of the inflorescence has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence length
- 30–90 mm
- Inflorescence type
-
- the inflorescence differs from the choices given
- the inflorescence is a spike (a long unbranched stem with flowers along it that lack stalks)
- Length of flower stalk
- 0 mm
- Length of peduncle
- 30–200 mm
- Marks on petals
- NA
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 1
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals and/or petals
- there are no petals, sepals or tepals in the flower, or they are not clearly present
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes neither petals nor sepals
- Petal appearance
- NA
- Petal base
- NA
- Petal fusion
- NA
- Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
- NA
- Petal nectaries
- NA
- Sepal appearance
- NA
- Sepal length
- 0 mm
- Sepal orientation
- NA
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- NA
- Spathe
- the plant has a spathe surrounding the flower spike
- Spathe form
- the spathe encloses or nearly encloses the spike of flowers
- Spathe length
- 60–160 mm
- Stamen number
-
- 3
- 4
- 5
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not fused to one another
- Stamens fused outwards
- NA
- Style petal-like
- the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
- Tepals
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
-
- orange
- red
- Capsule ridges
- NA
- Fruit beak length
- 0 mm
- Fruit compartments
- there is only one locule in the fruit
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is round in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 6–15 mm
- Fruit stalk orientation
- NA
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Other markings on berry
- the ripe fruits are mostly one color without spots or streaks
-
Glands or sap
- Sap
- the sap is milky and opaque, and may be white or colored
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Root septa
- the roots do not have transverse septa
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
- Leaf blade basal lobes
- the leaf blades do not have basal lobes
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- Leaf blade base shape
-
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- the base of the leaf blade is rounded
- Leaf blade bloom
-
- the underside of the leaf blade has a noticeable waxy or powdery bloom
- the underside of the leaf blade has no noticeable waxy or powdery bloom
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
- Leaf blade faces
- both surfaces of the leaf blade are exposed
- Leaf blade form
- Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
- Leaf blade length
- Up to 300 mm
- Leaf blade orientation
- the upper surface of the leaf blade faces the stem of the plant
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is acuminate (tapers to a long, thin point)
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- the tip of the leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins are palmate, (and do not arch towards the leaf tip) or pinnate
- Leaf blade width
- Up to 200 mm
- Leaf stalk length
- 300–600 mm
- Leaf type
- the leaves are compound with two or more leaflets on each leaf stalk
- Leaflet number
- 3–5
- Stipule twining
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on this plant
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- bogs
- edges of wetlands
- fens
- forests
- marshes
- river or stream floodplains
- shores of rivers or lakes
- swamps
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the leaves have no particular smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem is held upright
- Flowering stem leaves
- there are no true leaves on the flowering stem
- Stem hairs
- NA
Wetland status
Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FAC)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
ssp. pusillum
- Massachusetts
- uncommon (uncertain) (S-rank: S3?)
ssp. stewardsonii
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
ssp. triphyllum
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
Subspecies and varieties
Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott ssp. triphyllum is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. A. triphyllum ssp. pusillum (Peck) Huttleston is known from CT, MA, RI, VT. A. triphyllum ssp. stewardsonii (Britt.) Huttleston is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT, and is restricted to wet soils.
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
2. Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott N
Jack-in-the-pulpit. 2a. Arisaema atrorubens (Ait.) Blume; 2b. Arisaema acuminatum Small; A. pusillum (Peck) Nash; A. triphyllum (L.) Schott var. pusillum Peck; 2c. Arisaema atrorubens (Ait.) Blume var. stewardsonii (Britt.) Stevens; A. stewardsonii Britt.; A. triphyllum (L.) Schott var. stewardsonii (Britt.) Stevens • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT; throughout. Mesic forests, swamps, riparian forests, peatlands, and wetland edges. Three varieties of Arisaema triphyllum are found in our area. They are morphologically distinct and show some ecological separation. Further, there are ploidy level differences between some of the taxa. Some authors choose not to recognize these varieties because hybridization is known between them and some characters are lost in pressing and drying. However, neither of these is a valid reason for not recognizing tracheophyte taxa. Characters such as presence vs. absence of bloom on the leaf blades, fluting of the spathe tube, and orientation of the spathe flange (all lost or obscured on herbarium specimens) are best noted in the field so they can be recorded on herbarium specimen labels.
1a. Mature leaf blades glaucous abaxially; lateral leaflets very gibbous or even lobed near the base of the basiscopic margin; spathe flanges (2–) 4.5–7 (–9) mm wide, plane or slightly revolute; sterile spadix appendage clavate (rarely cylindric), 4–10 mm in diameter … 2a. A. triphyllum ssp. triphyllum
1b. Mature leaf blades green abaxially; lateral leaflets slightly to moderately gibbous near the base of the basiscopic margin; spathe flanges 1–3 mm wide, revolute; sterile spadix appendage cylindric (rarely clavate), 2–5 mm in diameter
2a. Spathe tube not or only weakly fluted; spathe hood wholly green or wholly purple, without white stripes; spathe acuminate (less frequently acute) at the apex; plants occurring in rich, mesic forests, swamps, and peatlands … 2b. A. triphyllum ssp. pusillum (Peck) Huttleston
2b. Spathe tube strongly fluted; spathe hood green with white and/or purple stripes; spathe acute at the apex; plants occurring in swamps, marshes, low floodplains, and other hydric communities … 2c. A. triphyllum ssp. stewardsonii (Britt.) Huttleston
Subspecies triphyllum is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Subspecies pusillum is known from CT, MA, RI, VT. Subspecies stewardsonii is known from CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. It is the most ecologically restricted of the subspecies and is ± confined to hydric soils.