Wednesday, April 11, 2012

J is for...


Click the badge to visit the other bloggers.

   To days flower has a name I love "Jack in the Pulpit" Arisaema triphyllum. This really likes wet feet and is found in the deep forests and bogs of east Texas (and most of the eastern United States it looks like). This plant has both male and female flowers on the same spike of the plant. The male at the top and the female at the bottom (hmm, maybe someone needs to talk to the female flowers) 
  The plant can be easly identified by its three leaves leaflets as well as it's spiked flowers. Jack blooms in the spring from April to June. In the fall red berries about 1/3 of an inch round will be found on the plant in a conical shape up to 3 inches long. This is a member of the herb family and the root can be eaten, but only after being boiled several times. The root has an extremely sharp taste and irritates the mouth tissue other wise.

Picture from University of Texas Plant Resource Guide