jack-in-the-pulpit

jack-in-the-pulpit
/jak"in dheuh pool"pit, -pul"-/, n., pl. jack-in-the-pulpits.
A North American plant, Arisaema triphyllum, of the arum family, having an upright spadix arched over by a green or striped purplish-brown spathe.
[1840-50, Amer.]

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North American plant (Arisaema triphyllum) of the arum family, noted for the unusual shape of its flower.

One of the best-known perennial wildflowers of late spring in the eastern U.S. and Canada, it grows in wet woodlands and thickets from Nova Scotia to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas. Three-part leaves on each of two long stalks overshadow the flower, which consists of a conspicuous green-and purple-striped structure called a spathe ("pulpit") that rises on a separate stalk. The spathe curves in a hood over a club-shaped spadix ("jack") that, at its base, bears minute flowers. In late summer the plant produces a cluster of brilliant red berries that are poisonous to humans but are eaten by many wild animals.

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plant
also called  Indian Turnip, Bog Onion, Brown Dragon, or Starchwort 

      (species Arisaema triphyllum), a North American plant of the arum family (Araceae), noted for the unusual shape of its flower. The plant is native to wet woodlands and thickets from Nova Scotia to Minnesota and southward to Florida and Texas. It is a stoutish perennial, 1 to 2.5 feet (0.3 to 0.8 m) high, and usually bears two long-stalked, three-parted leaves that overshadow the flower. The latter consists of a conspicuous green- and purple-striped structure called a spathe, which rises on a separate stalk between the leaves. The flowering spathe curves in a hood over a club-shaped structure called a spadix, near the base of which are borne the plant's minute flowers. The plant's fruit ripens in late summer into a cluster of brilliant red berries. The jack-in-the-pulpit is one of the best-known wildflowers of the eastern United States and Canada during the late spring.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Jack in the pulpit — can refer to: Woodland plants: * Jack in the pulpit, Arum maculatum , of temperate northern Europe * Jack in the pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum , of northeastern North AmericaOther: * Jack in the pulpit, game Cat s cradle …   Wikipedia

  • jack-in-the-pulpit — n. 1. A common American spring flowering woodland herb ({Aris[ae]ma triphyllum}) having sheathing leaves and an upright club shaped spadix with overarching green and purple spathe producing scarlet berries; also called {Indian turnip}. Syn:… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • jack-in-the-pulpit — ☆ jack in the pulpit [jak′in thəpool′pit ] n. pl. jack in the pulpits [also J ] an American plant ( Arisaema triphyllum) of the arum family, with a flower spike partly arched over by a hoodlike covering …   English World dictionary

  • jack-in-the-pulpit — trilapis žingis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Aroninių šeimos vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Arisaema triphyllum), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Arisaema triphyllum angl. Indian turnip; jack in the pulpit pranc. petit… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • jack-in-the-pulpit — jack′ in the pul′pit n. pl. pul•pits pln any North American plant of the genus Arisaema, of the arum family, having an upright spadix arched over by a spathe • Etymology: 1840–50, amer …   From formal English to slang

  • jack-in-the-pulpit — noun (plural jack in the pulpits; also jacks in the pulpit) Date: 1837 a North American spring flowering woodland herb (Arisaema triphyllum syn. A. atrorubens) of the arum family having an upright club shaped spadix arched over by a green and… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Jack-in-the-pulpit — noun 1》 another term for cuckoo pint. 2》 a North American arum with a green or purple brown spathe. [Arisaema triphyllum.] Origin C19: so named because the erect spadix overarched by the spathe resembles a person in a pulpit …   English new terms dictionary

  • Jack in the pulpit — noun a) A woodland plant of northern Europe, Arum maculatum. b) A plant in the northeastern North America, Arisaema triphyllum …   Wiktionary

  • jack-in-the-pulpit — noun 1. common American spring flowering woodland herb having sheathing leaves and an upright club shaped spadix with overarching green and purple spathe producing scarlet berries • Syn: ↑Indian turnip, ↑wake robin, ↑Arisaema triphyllum,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • jacks-in-the-pulpit — plural of jack in the pulpit …   Useful english dictionary

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