Its name comes from the flower’s structure, which looks like a preacher standing inside a pulpit: the hooded spathe covers the central spadix.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit is sequentially hermaphroditic—it can change sex from male to female depending on its energy reserves. Small plants are usually male; larger, older plants become female.
After flowering, female plants produce clusters of bright red berries in late summer to fall, adding ornamental interest.
Raw parts contain calcium oxalate crystals that can burn the mouth, but indigenous people used careful drying or cooking to make it safe for food and medicine.
Can live decades in the same spot, thriving in rich, moist forest soils.
he plant attracts fungus gnats and other small insects with its scent, which mimics decaying organic matter.
Its name comes from the flower’s structure, which looks like a preacher standing inside a pulpit: the hooded spathe covers the central spadix.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit is sequentially hermaphroditic—it can change sex from male to female depending on its energy reserves. Small plants are usually male; larger, older plants become female.
After flowering, female plants produce clusters of bright red berries in late summer to fall, adding ornamental interest.
Raw parts contain calcium oxalate crystals that can burn the mouth, but indigenous people used careful drying or cooking to make it safe for food and medicine.
Can live decades in the same spot, thriving in rich, moist forest soils.
he plant attracts fungus gnats and other small insects with its scent, which mimics decaying organic matter.
Bloom: mid- to late spring
Habitats: mesic deciduous woodlands; shady hillside seeps
Lifespan: perennial
Moisture: moist to mesic
Plant type (height): forb (1 to 2 feet)
Requirements: dappled sunlight to light shade during spring, medium shade is tolerated later in the year
Soil: abundance of organic material from decaying leaves and other material
