This is the story of two guys who enter the woods looking for Arisaema triphyllum, the graceful woodland wildflower known to many as Jack-in-the-pulpit. Not only is it beautiful to behold, but this member of the Arum family has a fascinating natural history; it can switch its sex, fool midge flies, and cause botanists to have heated debates about subspecies. During the episode, Steve makes a contribution to botanical history by coming up with the best alternative common name Bill has ever heard (see title), and we wrap things up with Bill eating some of this toxic plant. Listen to the end to see if Bill dies. Enjoy!
Mistakes:
"I'm going to sound pretty smart for noticing the 5 leaflets..." he said as he confused Panax quinquefolius and P. trifolius
Useful Links:
Artwork for this episode by Always Wandering Art
“The Best (Lesser Known) Outdoor Podcasts of 2018” on OutwardBound.org
Always Wandering Art:
Website, Facebook, Etsy Page
Works Cited:
“Araceae.” NYFA: New York Flora Atlas, 16 Apr. 2018, newyork.plantatlas.usf.edu/results.aspx?cat=family&id=23&text=Araceae.
“Araceae.” Catalogue of Life: 28th March 2018. Indexing the world’s known species. ITIS
Barriault, I., Gibernau, M. and Barabe, D., 2009. Flowering period, thermogenesis, and pattern of visiting insects in Arisaema triphyllum (Araceae) in Quebec. Botany, 87(3), pp.324-329.
Barriault, I., Barabé, D., Cloutier, L. and Gibernau, M., 2010. Pollination ecology and reproductive success in Jack‐in‐the‐pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) in Québec (Canada). Plant Biology, 12(1), pp.161-171.
Doust, J.L. and Cavers, P.B., 1982. Sex and gender dynamics in jack‐in‐the‐pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum (Araceae). Ecology, 63(3), pp.797-808.
Holdsworth, A.R., Frelich, L.E. and Reich, P.B., 2007. Effects of earthworm invasion on plant species richness in northern hardwood forests. Conservation Biology, 21(4), pp.997-1008.
Huttleston, D.G., 1981. The four subspecies of Arisaema triphyllum. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, pp.479-481.
Jones, S., Davis, M., McCaskill, A. and Corotto, F., 2013. Spadix Function in the Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum. Georgia Journal of Science, 71(2), p.9.
Newcomb, L., 1977. Newcomb's wildflower guide. Little, Brown, and Company.
Peterson, R.T. and McKenny, M., 1968. A field guide to wildflowers: northeastern and north-central North America. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Schultz, Jan. “Jack-in-the-Pulpit.” USDA Forest Service, www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/arisaema_triphyllum.shtml.
Venning, F.D. and Saito, M.C., 1984. A guide to field identification wildflowers of North America/&. Golden Press; Western publishing Company.