ARACEAE 



ARUM FAMILY 



GREEN DRAGON 



Arisaema Dracontium (L.) Schott 



The Green Dragon is found mostly in wet woods and along 

 streams, but occasionally in dry soil, from Maine to Minnesota 

 and south to Florida and Texas. It grows from a cluster of 

 corms, and its usually 

 monoecious flowers 

 bloom in May and 

 June. 



Usually there is 

 only I leaf, 8-48 inch- 

 es long, oddly com- 

 pound in that its 

 5-17 leaflets are ar- 

 ranged more like the 

 toes of the foot in- 

 stead of fingers of 

 the hand, as shown. 

 Several membranous 

 scales envelop the 

 flowering stalk at the 

 base. 



The outer part of the green or sometimes whitish inflorescence 

 is the spathe and the long slender structure projecting 1-7 inches 

 from it is the tip of the spadix. The lower part of the spadix bears 

 the flowers except when both forms are on the same plant; then 

 the staminate are grouped together above the pistillate. Each 

 staminate flower consists merely of 4 almost sessile anthers 

 which open by slits at the end. The pistillate flower consists of 

 a top-shaped ovary, containing 6-8 bottle-shaped ovules, and a 

 sessile stigma. The fruits are orange-red berries clustered in a 

 large head. 



The Green Arrow Arum, Peltandra virginica (L.) Kunth, is 

 marked by its long, arrow to spear-shaped bright green leaves, which 

 are firm and strongly veined. A long, green and wavy-margined 

 spathe encloses the shorter spadix, which is covered about one 

 fourth of its length by pistillate flowers and the rest by staminate, 

 or remains sterile. The berry truits are green when ripe. This is also 

 a swamp dweller, from Maine and Ontario to Michigan, south to 

 Florida, Louisiana and Missouri, and likewise blooms in May and 

 June. 



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