Jack In The Pulpit

Jack In The Pulpit is an herbaceous perennial plant also known as the Indian Turnip, Brown Dragon, bog onion, Wild Turnip and American Wake Robin. It gets its name from the shape of the blossoms which have a cuplike hooded top showing off a variety of colors from cream to green and burgundy to brown. The hood or the spathe showcases a spike or spadix that could be mistaken for a man standing in the pulpit is covered with tiny male and female flowers of a wide variety of colors: white, red, pink and green. It is framed by basal leaves in sets of three.

Jack In The Pulpit's Requirements

It is native to the Midwest and grows hardily in zones 2-7. It thrives in soils that are damp and acidic. It also likes rich humus forest soils. This is an excellent plant for extremely boggy areas of your garden or lawn.

Jack In The Pulpit's Growth

The plant reaches 6 inches to 3 feet at full growth. They grow well in partial shade and full shade. From mid to late summer it will produce red berries in a clustered cone that takes the place of the spike. Eventually, the hood dies and the berries in their full rich glory are displayed. The plant can be found growing wildly in rich moist woods growing from New Brunswick, Canada all the way to Florida. This plant is an exceptional addition to bog or rain gardens and its very tolerant of poorly drained soils. Grow them from the berries' seeds planted in the fall in 6 inches of slightly acidic soil with lots of organic matter. These make a good addition to shade gardens and outliners around the edges of woodlands.

Jack In The Pulpit's Appearance

Jack in the Pulpit is very easy to grow and care for. Blooms appear in mid to late spring covering the spadix and by the end of the summer the spadix disappears and the cluster of green, then ripe red berries appears, so for months your garden is decorated with color.
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