Jack-in-the-Pulpit Bearing Fruit: Wildflower Wednesday

– Posted in: Native/Invasive
10 comments

This past May I shared with you how excited I was to find Jack-in-the-pulpits growing on our new land. I thought you’d like to see what one Jack looks like when it goes to seed:

Fruiting Jack in the pulpit

This Jack-in-the-pulpit is bearing fruit. Photo taken in September.

According to William Cullina in Wildflowers: A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers, every Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) has both male and female parts, but if the plant is young or weak, only the male parts will be fertile. The female parts are fertile only on older, stronger plants. So this must have been a pretty happy Jack.

Posted for Wildflower Wednesday, created by Gail of Clay and Limestone, to share wildflowers/native plants no matter where you garden in the blogosphere. “It doesn’t matter if we sometimes show the same plants. How they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most. It’s always the fourth Wednesday of the month!”

About the Author

Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.

In the end, this may be the most important thing about frost: Frost slows us down. In spring, it tempers our eagerness. In fall, it brings closure and rest. In our gotta-go world–where every nanosecond seems to count–slowness can be a great gift. So rather than see Jack Frost as an adversary, you could choose to greet him as a friend.

~Philip Harnden in A Gardener’s Guide to Frost: Outwit the Weather and Extend the Spring and Fall Seasons

Comments on this entry are closed.

Rose September 19, 2014, 1:45 pm

I have around 300 plus plants that look like either ginseng or Jack in the pulpit.
Sadly, they are not ginseng as they only have 3 leaflets instead of 5, but the red berries, look like they would have been. then I found out about Jack in the pulpit and the leaves and berries look like that but I dont see the flower part. What other plant could it be?

Yuriy March 14, 2013, 6:49 am

At what age is beginning to bear fruit Jack-in-the-pulpit?

Kathy Purdy March 14, 2013, 7:43 am

I really don’t know.

joene at joene's garden November 3, 2012, 6:26 pm

Jack-in-the-pulpit is one of my favorite natives. Thanks for the info. I missed Wildflower Wednesday thanks to Sandy ;-(

Ted Wilson November 1, 2012, 5:11 am

I love jack-in-the-pulpits, both native and Asian. Such cool plants! I have never been able to get them to thrive in my garden…

Rose October 27, 2012, 8:33 am

Interesting–I’ve never seen fruit on these before! How nice to think you will have even more little Jacks next year.

felicity October 26, 2012, 9:26 am

The colors are beautiful and something about fruit is always exciting.

Donna@Gardens Eye View October 25, 2012, 7:25 pm

Love my jacks especially when they bear fruit

Gail October 24, 2012, 9:45 pm

One of my favorites~I have Green Dragon in my garden and love when they go to seed. Happy WW. xogail

Carol - May Dreams Gardens October 24, 2012, 9:32 pm

And another little spark of fall color, too. Thanks for sharing this.