Wild, Wonderful Aroids - Part 4, Arisaema - Page 2
is a reaction to reflected light; others note that even if dug and turned, the inflorescence will turn back. The truth is that nobody knows exactly why this happens, but it does - so be prepared.
Even with these faults, I would hate to be without this plant; it is so exquisite.
The variegated leaf form (grown from AEG seed) is even more stunning than the straight species. Cultivars with striped or spotted leaves are prized in Japan, but I've not heard of them being available in the US. The inflorescence is identical to the plain green leaf form.
Of the four seedlings set in the garden in 2001, this one grew to normal size, producing a lovely fruit spike, while the others remained midgets, blooming with miniature versions of the normal inflorescence.
The fruiting spike remains erect on this species until the peduncle (flower stem) collapses.
While bloom is early spring, berries don't ripen until very late - early winter. In fact, they often don't start turning red until November. They will continue to ripen indoors, even if the peduncle has rotted away. Just collect them before hard frost and keep them in a frost-free area until all the berries are red before cleaning the seed.
Each berry contains up to four seeds that are small compared to some other species. I have found that even very tiny seed will germinate. Plants of both sexes need to be present to obtain fertile seed; my original plant never set seed as it was the only one I had at the time. Obviously those mini-spathes on the other seedlings were male.
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