A Pulpit in the Woods

I found these coming up in the woods yesterday. They must have come from wildflower seed or maybe a dropping from a bird. Jack In The Pulpit. We have just come from Mass, so I thought posting on this pulpit would be appropriate.The jack-in-the-pulpit is very showy. I have always been fascinated by these strange plants.Its large spathe is faintly pitcher-shaped, with a protective flap that curves over the spadix. The spathe is often green, but sometimes striped with brownish-red or rich maroon. These have that maroon color. The pulpit image is unfamiliar to us, perhaps, now in these simpler times, but pulpits of 18th-century England and America did indeed resemble this unique shape, and the small "preacher Jack" inside. Jack-in-the-Pulpit, is a charming plant with very unusual foliage and flower. This plant grows up to 4 feet tall with a single leaf divided into 3 leaflets. Jack-in-the-Pulpit seeds are in a shiny cluster of bright orange red fruit in the fall. The unique shape and color of Jack-in-the-Pulpit make it an excellent choice for the shade or woodland wildflower garden where it should be planted in rich soil and shade to partial shade. The unusual foliage & flowers of Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants will be an exotic & excellent addition to the shade garden. I have never seen them grow to 4 ft. tall. This is the first year here, so I will watch it and hope that it doesn't get cut down by that weed whacker of mine.

Balisha