Green Dragon
Arisaema dracontium
A green spathe with a dragon's-tongue spadix that pulls people in for a closer look. Orange-red fall berries feed thrushes, and deer leave it alone.
Typically 1 pint–1 gal · $9–$30 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
The dramatic, dragon-tongued companion to Jack-in-the-Pulpit. for collectors and shade garden enthusiasts who want the unexpected.
Green Dragon is the stranger, wilder cousin of Jack-in-the-Pulpit. A single large leaf divided into 7 to 15 leaflets rises from the corm, and from its center emerges the flower: a green spathe with a long, tapering spadix that protrudes dramatically beyond the hood like a dragon's tongue. The whole structure is alien and captivating, and it reliably draws people over for a closer look. By late summer the spathe collapses to reveal a dense cluster of orange-red berries that provide the same fall food value for thrushes and robins as Jack-in-the-Pulpit. Green Dragon is less commonly grown but equally garden-worthy. Plant both in a shaded naturalistic area and watch their different structures unfold through the season. Like its cousin, this plant is toxic if ingested, but it's also completely deer-proof because of those same compounds.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown green dragon propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Part shade
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 1–3 ft · 8–14 in wide
- Bloom time
- Spring
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Family
- Araceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America, from Quebec south to Florida, west to Nebraska and Texas
Care notes for green dragon.
Plant the corm 2-3 inches deep in moist, rich woodland soil in part to full shade. Requires consistent moisture. Allow foliage to die back naturally. Toxic to humans and pets if ingested. Self-sows slowly. Best naturalized in woodland areas with Jack-in-the-Pulpit for a complementary collection of native Arisaema species.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside green dragon.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.