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Arisaema dracontium

green dragon

Araceae Eastern North America

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant

Native to North America

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 4–9

Overview

Arisaema dracontium is a woodland perennial in the arum family, growing from an underground corm to 12-36 inches (30-90 cm) tall. Each plant usually produces a single long-stalked leaf divided into 7 to 15 leaflets arranged in a horseshoe or fan shape. The flower structure appears in late spring as a narrow green spathe wrapped around a slender spadix whose tip extends 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) beyond the spathe in a tapering, tongue-like point that gives the plant its common name. The tiny flowers are clustered at the base of the spadix, hidden within the spathe. By late summer the pollinated flowers ripen into a tight cluster of red-orange berries on a short stalk after the leaf has faded. All parts contain needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that cause intense burning and swelling of the mouth and throat if chewed and can irritate skin. The species grows in moist, rich floodplain forests, stream banks, and shaded bottomlands across eastern North America. It needs consistently moist, fertile soil and deep shade, and it goes fully dormant by late summer, leaving a bare gap in the planting.

Native Range

Native to eastern North America, from Quebec and Ontario south to Florida and Texas, mainly in moist bottomland forests.

Suggested Uses

Used in shaded native woodland and rain gardens and in moist, naturalized borders where its tongue-like flower form draws interest, spaced 10-18 inches (25-45 cm) apart. It pairs with ferns and later-emerging perennials that fill the gap left when it goes dormant.

How to Identify

Identify it by a single leaf split into 7 to 15 leaflets in a horseshoe arrangement and a narrow green spathe from which the spadix extends in a long, tapering tongue. The tongue-like spadix tip and the fan of leaflets separate green dragon from jack-in-the-pulpit, which has a hooded spathe and three-part leaves.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 3'

Width/Spread1' - 1'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

green

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~2 weeks

Spring Summer

The green spathe and long spadix appear from May into June. Flowering lasts about two weeks, after which the leaf persists into summer. Red-orange berry clusters ripen in late summer as the foliage dies back.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Tolerates up to 4 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam silt

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-4 years from seed

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in part shade to full shade on consistently moist, humus-rich soils such as those of floodplains and stream banks. It needs steady moisture through the growing season and tolerates short flooding but not dry soil. Soil pH from 5.5 to 7.0 suits it, reflecting its woodland habitat. The plant is hardy in USDA zones 4-9 and the corm overwinters below ground. Propagation is from seed, after removing the pulp, or by separating corm offsets in dormancy. It goes dormant by late summer, so its place in a bed is often paired with later-emerging plants.