Cobra Lily

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One of the most interesting plants in the garden, it’s probably the one I look forward to the most in the spring.

Meet the Cobra Lily.

I have three Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants in the garden, but this one is always my favourite because of its contrasting dark and light stripes; the others are pale green and white striped.

“Arisaemas are members of the aroid family, a group of exotic flowering shade plants that includes philodendron and calla lilies (Zantedeschia). There are some Arisaema species native to the US (including North Carolina) but the majority hail from Asia. Arisaema are known by the common names of jack-in-the-pulpit or cobra lily, depending on the style of the inflorescence.”

“Arisaema species are woodland garden plants that range from short plants like Arisaema sikokianum that top out around 1′ tall to giants like Arisaema tortuosum, which can reach 3-4′ tall. Arisaema arise from a fall/winter dormant underground tuber or rhizome. These shade garden plants are primarily spring-flowering perennials, whose inflorescence emerges on a stalk known as a pseudostem. Those which have a pitcher-shaped (spathe) inflorescence with an upright spadix (sex organ) are called jack-in-the-pulpit. Those with a spathe that resembles a cobra head are known as cobra lilies.”

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