Arisaema is a genus w/ many species most of which are asian. There are two NA native species that are recognized w/ a couple of sub-species (and a bunch of taxonomical bickering). The 2 natives are dracontium and triphyllum, bith are easy to get and grow. Many of the asian species are cold hardy as well but some are picky when it comes to drainage.

Here is part 4 of a series of articles on aroids that I really like. I like to plant tubers in spring, they seem to have a better chance to get established and survive the winters for me. Some of these guys can be pretty expensive so it helps to do some research. People on the aroid forum can sometimes be helpful and the IAS website can be a big help. Two good books are Aroids by Deni Brown and The Genus Arisaema by the Gusmans. Two of my favorites are candidissimum and

A lot of people get 'em from Plant Delights but there are less expensive sources on the web that are just as good.

Good Luck!

KWoods,

Are you growing the candidissimum and the griffithi outdoors? I've heard they can be tempermental. Would appreciate hearing your comments. Thanks
Shari

Hey K woods,
I'm very interested in Jack in the Pulpits thats why im trying to start that kind of garden. Like I said earlier I have 450 varieties of Hosta and I want to try to get as many if not all varieties of Jack in the Pulpit. This will get very tedious but with my determination I think this will become possible.
Thanks for the info I will definately check them out. This kind of plant is new to me and from the first day I saw a pic of it I was hooked.

Thanks again,
Patrick C.
p/s If you can think of anything that will work please let me know.

Patrick C. I think there are around 190 something species in the genus Arisaema. Not sure if there are any man-made hybrids although I've heard of one but never seen it anywhere. Most are Asian, some are tropical. If you like these guys you might be interested in the genus Arum or Pinellia (just NOT ternata) as well. I grow 13 or 14 species successfully outdoors but have tried a bunch more that I lost over the years. Asiatica can sometimes be a good source, you can also try Telos and Odyssey bulbs.

Shari, yep I grow 'em outside, yep they can be temperamental (rot). I dig deep, put gravel and perlite in the planting hole for drainage, then use a light sandy mix, mulch with leaves or flat stones in fall to keep warm and DRY over winter, remove mulch after last frost. I have found keeping them very DRY when dormant has been the key to growing these for me. You can fertilize like crazy if you want when actively growing w/ high P fert. Sometimes I lift a few of the tubers if I have a lot off offsets and replant in spring. Some of them want to awaken too early (before last frost) so you have to keep an eye out and keep them protected. Worth all the effort, research and hunting down of different species.