(Flatbud Pricklypoppy, Pricklepoppy)

The enormous white crepe paper flowers are beguilingly at odds with the rest of this prickly short-lived perennial from dry regions of western North America. Borne on stout spiny stems that can vary from calf- to waist-high, the white, four- to six-petaled blooms open from bristly buds in late spring and summer. A powderpuff cluster of numerous yellow stamens ornaments the center of each flower. The blossoms are held above handsome dense clumps of deeply lobed gray-green leaves that are prickly on...

(Amur Jack-in-the-pulpit)

Arisaema amurense is a tuberous herbaceous perennial native to Northeast Asia. In late spring, it bears a purple- and white-striped spathe with a green spadix, overtopped by one or two large, spoked, compound leaves. Bright red berries ornament the spadix in fall.

This plant prefers moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil and partial shade. It makes an excellent addition to a shade garden.

(White-spathed Jack-in-the-pulpit)

One of the last herbaceous perennials to emerge in spring, Arisaema candidissimum is a tuberous aroid native to western China. In early summer it bears a white spathe with pink or pale green stripes, enclosing a greenish spadix. The flowers are sweetly fragrant. Large, handsome, three-lobed leaves accompany the flowers. Fruiting rarely occurs in cultivation.

Plant in full sun to partial shade in a moist, well drained soil. It is one of the most striking plants for the shade garden.

(Green Dragon)

Arisaema dracontium is a tuberous herbaceous perennial native to eastern North America. In mid-spring it bears a narrow, cupped, green spathe, from which a long yellowish green spadix protrudes like a dragon's tongue. A large compound leaf with 7 to 19 leaflets overtops the spathe and spadix. Bright red berries ornament the spadix in late summer and fall.

This plant prefers moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil and partial shade. It makes an excellent addition to the woodland garden.

(Japanese Jack-in-the-pulpit)

Arisaema ehimense is a tuberous herbaceous perennial native to the island of Shikoku, Japan. In late spring it bears a green- and white-striped spathe with a purple or pale green spadix, accompanied by two large compound leaves. The spathe has a long tail-like appendage at its tip. Bright orange berries ornament the spadix in late summer and fall.

This plant prefers moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil and partial shade. It makes an excellent addition to a shade garden.

(Cobra Lily)

Arisaema ringens, the Japanese cobra lily, is a tuberous herbaceous perennial native to East Asia. In early spring two large glossy trifoliate leaves emerge, overtopping a cobra-like "flower" that comprises a pale green, purple- or white-striped, hood-like spathe and a club-shaped spadix. A purple-mottled sheath surrounds each leaf stem. Bright orange berries ornament the spadix in late summer and fall.

Japanese Cobra Lily grows best in partial shade and moist, humus-rich soil. Its emerging leaves...

(Thunberg's Jack-in-the-pulpit, Urashima-so )

Arisaema thunbergii is a tuberous herbaceous perennial native to Korea and Japan. In spring it bears a purple, white-striped spathe, from which protrudes a long, tail-like, S-shaped spadix. A large, compound, horseshoe-shaped leaf overtops the spathe and spadix. Bright orange berries ornament the spadix in fall.

Plant in moist, well drained soil and shade. It makes an excellent addition to the shade garden.

(Jack-in-the-pulpit)

A familiar wildflower within its native range, Jack-in-the-pulpit is a tuberous herbaceous perennial found throughout eastern North America. In spring, it bears a pale green, white- or purple-striped spathe, over-arched by two large, glossy, three-lobed leaves. The spathe encloses a pale green or purple spadix, which in late summer produces bright orange-red berries.

This plant prefers a shady area with moist, humus-rich, well drained soil. It makes an ideal candidate for the woodland garden.

(Birthwort)

Pretty heart-shaped leaves and small yellow flowers on birthwort brings an aire of oddity and beauty to the perennial border. An upright and then arching herbaceous perennial native to southern Europe, it will creep its rhizomes (underground stems) to form a clump.

The light to medium green leaves are spade- or heart-shaped and are pretty as they line the stems that are first upright and then begin to weep. In late spring and early summer, small light yellow flowers occur in small clusters in...

(Dutchman's Pipe)

Foremost grown for its lush green, large heart-shaped leaves, Dutchman's pipe also bears small, pipe-like flowers in late spring. A heavy, deciduous vine native to the woodlands of the Appalachians in the eastern United States, the flowers are normally well-hidden by the foliage and do not smell of rotting flesh like other members of Aristolochia. The bright green leaves can become as large as a dinner plate. Heart-shaped, thye can become slightly purpled in late summer; their undersides...