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Arisaema (From Aron Arum and sana)

(from Aron, Arum, and sana, a standard; in reference to the close alliance to Arum). ORD. Aroideoe (Araceoe). Small, tuberous-rooted, greenhouse (except where stated otherwise) herbs. Spathe rolled round the spadix at the base; spadix bearing unisexual flowers below, and rudimentary flowers in the upper part. Leaves peltate, pedate, palmate, or simple. For culture, &c., see Arum.

A. concinna (neat).* fl., spathe convolute, tubular at the base; upper portion bent over at the mouth, and gradually narrowed into a tail-like appendage about 3in. long; spathe of the female plant longitudinally barred with white and green, the latter colour being replaced with blue-purple in the male. June. l. solitary, sheathing at the base, and made up of ten or twelve lanceolate, entire, light green leaflets, which radiate from the top of the petiole, the latter being 1ft. to 2ft. high. Sikkim, 1871. A. curvatum (curved).* fl. crowning a scape which overtops the foliage; tube of spathe cylindrical, green, obscurely striped with white; the elliptic blade arches forward, green on the inner surface, and brownish-red on the outer; spadix produced into a purplish-tail, about 1ft. long. April. l. pedate. The large bracts, which sheath the base of the stem, are beautifully marbled with dark olive green, red, and light green. h. 4ft. Himalayas, 1871. SYN. A. helleborifolium.

A. galeata (helmeted).* fl., spathe about 4in long; tube and cylindrical side of spathe green, tinted purplish at base, with many longitudinal white lines; inside of the tube purple. July. l. solitary, trifoliolate; middle leaflet 6in. long by 3 3/4in. broad; lateral ones 7in. long and nearly 4in. broad. h. 1ft. Himalayas, Sikkim, 1879.

A. Griffithi (Griffith's).* fl., spathe large, hood-like, brown-violet, with green veins; spadix brown-violet, and the barren end at the base above the flowers has a disk-like projection, while its free extremity is prolonged into a long thread-like appendage. Spring. l. with bold roundish leaflets. h. 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. Sikkim, 1879. Hardy; very handsome. SYN. A. Hookerianum. A. helleborifolium (Hellebore-leaved). A synonym of A. curvatum. A. Hookerianum (Hooker's). A synonym of A. Griffithi. A. nepenthoides (Nepenthes-like).* fl., spathe above the tubular portion extended into two decided auricles, which serve to distinguish it from other species, ochre, brown, green; spadix yellowish. Spring. l. pedate, of five lanceolate or oblanceolate leaflets; central one 6in. long, the others shorter. h. 2ft. Himalayas, 1879.

A. praecox (early). A synonym of A. ringens.

A. ringens (gaping).* fl., spathe striped green and white, erect and cylindrical below, then arching suddenly over, and again contracting into a rather small deep purple orifice, with broad, reflexed margins; spadix erect, pale yellow-green. Spring. l., leaflets three, ovate-oblong, acuminate, and produced into a filiform point; peduncle short. Japan. Hardy. SYNS. A. proecox and A. Sieboldi.

A. Sieboldi (Siebold's). A. synonym of A. ringens.

A. speciosa (showy).* fl., spadix deep glossy purple, greenish and white, with a long flexuous prolongation, sometimes nearly 20in. in length; spathe also terminating with a filiform elongation. March. l. solitary, trifoliolate; leaflets petioled, dark green, conspicuously edged with blood red; petioles long, mottled with white. h. 2ft. Temperate Himalayas, 1872. A. triphylla (three-leaved).* fl., spathe 4in. to 6in. long, striped with broad lines of purplish-brown, with about 1in. of green in the middle; spadix 3in. long, spotted with brown. June and July. l. on long, stout petioles, trifoliolate; leaflets entire, equal, acuminated. h. 9in. to 1ft. North America, 1664. This is quite hardy. SYNS. A. zebrina and Arum triphyllum. A. zebrina (zebra). A synonym of A. triphylla.