This is not an orchid but I just had to post this, actually Heather made me do it. I took a short walk through the woods here today hoping to find some Cyps but I came across a giant Jack in the Pulpit. It is the largest one I have ever seen! I have seen many Jacks but not one of this size. The plant was about 5-6 ft tall with a HUGE pitcher! The stem had to be about 2.5 to 3 inches thick and WOODY!!! The leaves were also gigantic. Do they get ultimately get to be this size? I don't think so because there were many other Jacks around in the same area and they were all regular size Jacks. So, I wonder how this single Jack grew to such proportions! Does anyone know how big they get?
Here are 2 pictures. The first one is a closeup of the plant and the second one is of the whole plant. Note how tall the plant is compared to the regular ones in the background.
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6o1l1/giantjack.jpg
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze6o1l1/jack.jpg

I've no clue of their growth habit but it certainly seems unusual to me! Are you near a toxic waste area? Just kidding!!!!
The one behind it looks pretty normally sized, tho even a bit large....

Truly amazing! I so look forward to others' responses!!

They do eventually get that big...but it takes MANY MANY years for them to get that big. Most don't live long enough to get that big for whatever reasons, and it is probably the mother or ancestor of most of the ones near it. Great find!!

Jon

Pete, :!:

Thank you so much for posting your photos. I was thinking "It might be on steroids," and then I read Heather's comment about being near a toxic dump site. YIKES!!!! Global Warming, maybe? All the rain we had in May?

I've never seen nor heard about anything like this. Especially as far North as we are. That one wants to be a tree!! Talk about isolating the gene(s) that made it do THAT!!

It is maginficent! What a find!

wow!!! thats a big jack! i found one in va that was all green

It reminds me of a roth - a little bit - the striping.
Te cool!

Thank you all for the replies! Susan, you're right it looked like a tree. I wanted to find Cyps but bugs were eating me alive.

I'm still fasciinated about this Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Never, ever, in ,my life did I see something like this one!!!!!!

I can only say that (uh oh...words of wisdom coming....) that the weather has a real effect on this plant. Would love to get some of the media that this Jack is growing onto.

I will be putting my Paph orchids out into a shady place tomorrow.

I will be putting my Paph orchids out into a shady place tomorrow.

Careful w/ that - they get hot fast.

(Paphgirl < --- three paphs down! No kidding!!)

I didn't even know that Jacks were poisonous, thanks to Heather! I even touched a smaller regular sized one but didn't lick it or eat it. Are Lily of the Valley also poisonous, does anyone know?

Great shot. Thanks for the pictures Pete

Poisonous is a little extreme in this case. The tuber is full of tiny crystals of oxalic acid I think...or some other acid. If you eat a tuber raw...the crystals cause very bad irritation from the sharp little crystals. If you cook it, they dissolve and are edible...hence the name Indian Turnip. Touching it shouldn't cause a problem...even the juice. Thanks again for posting...hopefully that monster is there for a long time to come.

Jon

Thanks Jon, I'll have to reprimand my source!

Thanks, Jon for the info! I don't even remember where it is growing and I hope it stays there forever!

That's Indian Turnip?? Wasn't that mentioned on another post about where you can find Cyps in the woods?

My real reason for posting is that I was thinking that when I look for the Jack-in-the-Pulpits, (and the slippers) I will look down for the low growing plants, as that is what I am expecting to see.

I would have probably completely missed something this large and unusual, as I would not be looking for it. It would have never crossed my mind that a Jack could get so big! Something like that could have been right in front of me, but I could have missed it as I was looking down.

Great lesson! Sometimes we miss the unexpected while we search for the expected.

Thanks!!

That's Indian Turnip?? Wasn't that mentioned on another post about where you can find Cyps in the woods?

My real reason for posting is that I was thinking that when I look for the Jack-in-the-Pulpits, (and the slippers) I will look down for the low growing plants, as that is what I am expecting to see.

I would have probably completely missed something this large and unusual, as I would not be looking for it. It would have never crossed my mind that a Jack could get so big! Something like that could have been right in front of me, but I could have missed it as I was looking down.

Great lesson! Sometimes we miss the unexpected while we search for the expected.

Thanks!!

Nope, this is Indian Turnip, that was Indian Cucumber. :D

My favorite archaeology professor (well, w/ the exeption of the woman who jumped around immitating lemurs,) when she took us out the first time in the field, warned us to not walk into trees. I am NOTORIOUS for never looking up when outdoors. I loved my education though. UMass rocks, no matter what anyone else might say. The Anthro dept. was very cool when I was there!

When I get my camera back this weekend I will post pics of the couple species of these I am growing. Our solid green flowered ones get about 2 1/2 to three feet tall(Arisaema triphyllum alba), but ones with very dark almost black flowers stay much smaller and under 2 feet tall(A. pusillum). I believe the one posted above is the species that is rather rare around here(A. stewardsonii). I also have another native member that is quite different, the Green Dragon, Arisaema draconitium. One day I will start collecting some of the asian species as I really like the Arisaemas. Check out Plants Delights Nursery or Asiatica Nursery for pics of some of the ones for sale. You can also get some that are variegated 8)

Jon

Alright, I have photos of them from last year. Don't know why I don't have photos of Green Dragon, but here's the other two.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/jonbar1/DSC02474.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/jonbar1/DSC02475.jpg
Arisaema triphylla alba

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/jonbar1/DSC02476.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/jonbar1/DSC02477.jpg
Arisaema pusillum

Jon

Great Jack pics, Jon! Do you grow them in your own backyard?

I particularly like the alba one. Very nice color!

Very Cool! My mom has some of these in the woods beyond her yard up in Wisonsin.

These grow in our north facing bed along with my collection of Asarums, Tricyrtis, Hosta, Podophyllums, Trilliums, Epimediums, Violets, Ferns, Sanguinaria, and my couple Cypripediums. It is a very humus rich area composed of river silt topdressed with leaf mold compost every year.

Pete, if you go back in the fall it should have a cluster of red berries on it. If you wouldn't mind, I will gladly trade you berries from my species for some of that one. They grow very easily from seed if you put the ripe berries about a half inch under some soil.

Jon

A 5-6 ft Jack is a monster. I have one I planted in my front yard that is just shy of 30" tall, and it's bigger than anything I see in the woods.

Also the "dorsal sepal" of the one you spotted Peter is very well striped.

Very cool find. (I guess it was so big you'd have to be blind to not find it :clap: :clap: )

Jon, I'm very bad with directions so I don't think I can even find it again but I'll try and look for it this fall. If I do find it, I'll collect the berries for you. Rick, it was right in the middle of the little ones and right next to the path. Hope I can find it again this fall!