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From: "Jim McClements, Dover, DE z6" <JimMcClem at AOL.COM>
Subject: Arisaema triphyllum (was"weed")
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While A. triphyllum doesn't grow naturally on our property, it is relativ=ely
abundant in surrounding woodlands, and I still find it anything but a wee=d.
It never takes over any portion of the garden where it is planted, and th=e
more I see of various forms of it, the more I admire it.

The most striking forms are those in which the spathe has little or no
chlorophyll,and is essentially a black and white striper. I have one like
this which has a place of honor in the spring garden.

I also am growing the so-called white form, where there is a very pale,
whitish cast to the spathe, and a beautifully mottled stem. I have never =seen
this in the wild, and it came to me from a friend in Lithuania! He report=s
that it has never produced seed for him, nor has it done so in the two ye=ars
it has been here. It does, fortunately, make offsets readily. Has anyone =seen
this form in North America?

The third "special" A. triphyllum was recently discussed here, namely, th=e
form with prominent white veins in the leaflets. One of these has been
christened as "Mrs. French", for a woman in Connecticut (I think) who fou=nd
it. However, similar forms have turned up in other places.

I'm hoping that some day my "black & white" (which is female) will flower=at
a time when "white veins" flowers as a male (which it has yet to do), and=I
can try a cross!

Familiarity should not necessarily breed contempt, and A. triphyllum sure=is
easier to grow than some of these Asiatic prima-donnas!

Jim McClements