Dracunculus
(diminutive of draco, from drakon, a dragon; the petioles, &c., being marked like the skin of a snake). ORD. Aroideoe (Araceoe). A genus of two or three species, nearly allied to Arum, from which it principally differs in the upper portion of the spathe being flat and not convolute. Leaves pedately divided. Stems spotted. Rhizomes tuberous. The species most commonly met with in gardens is D. vulgaris (often called Dragon), already described in this work as Arum Dracunculus (which see). The other two, which are much less frequently seen, are D. canariensis and D. creticus.