Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 25 



ARUM FAMILY (Araceae). 



This is quite a large family of plants containing 

 six genera. All have acrid or pungent juices; flowers 

 closely crowded on a spadix, usually surrounded by 

 a spathe; leaves either simple or compound and of 

 various shapes. 



Genus (Arisaema). 



JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT or INDIAN TURNIP (Aris- 

 aema triphyllum) is the most abundant and the best 

 known representative of this genus. In most all 

 moist woods and often in unexpected shady nooks, 

 you will find Jack, represented by the spadix, look- 

 ing out at you from his pulpit, represented by the 

 spathe of the flower. The spathe is light green, 

 more or less striped with brown, especially on the 

 inside; the spadix is also green and has the tiny 

 flowers clustered about its base. The flowers are 

 sometimes of both kinds on one plant, but usually 

 the stamens will be found on one and the pistils on 

 a different one, thus insuring cross-fertilization, 

 which is accomplished chiefly by small flies and 

 gnats. The inside of the spathe is very slippery, as 

 is also the spadix, so that many insects are unable 

 to crawl up its sides and perish within. The large 

 solid roots are very acrid and fiery to the taste, but 

 are said to have been relished by the Indians, al- 

 though they are now often used in the concoction of 

 medicines. Usually two, thrice-compounded leaves 

 spread shelteringly over the flower spathe on long 

 stems. Large clusters of bright berries remain after 

 the leaves have withered. Flowers throughout U. S. 

 from April to July. 



..GREEN DRAGON (Arisaema dracontium) has one 

 leaf divided into ten radiating pointed leaflets on a 

 long stem, sheltering the flowers clustered at the 

 base of a projecting spathed spadix. 



