False CP??

[mass]

I thought I had stumbled upon some sort of North American pitcher plant.. I know it's not, but not sure what type of orchid, flower, plant.. type thingy it is. Anyone recognize it?

 

[amphirion]

it's a jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). and that's the flower.

 

[mass]

That's right.. I remember my father mentioning those before. Thanks for being so smart!

 

[swords]

That's called a "Jack in the Pulpit" or most likely Arisaema trifolium which is the most common species to find growing in our region. I saw one earlier this week on my woods walk too. I planned to go back and take a pic. This is an aroid species, relative to philodendrons, anthuriums, the monstrous Amorphophallus titanum, etc. All aroids make the spathe and spadix flower you are looking at in some form or other, this plant only grows the single 3 segmented leaf and single bloom, very rarely a second bloom will pop. These generally go dormant in hot summer weather and wake up again after the snow melts next spring from their underground tubers.

You can get tubers off ebay and start them now for a late spring show, live plants we find in the woods don't transplant well but dormant tubers will grow if conditions are good, cool, shady and moist. They are becoming popular as shade garden plants. There are hundreds of amazing and extreme looking species worldwide.