About Arisaema dracontium (L.) Schott
Arisaema dracontium, commonly called dragon-root or green dragon, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Arisaema of the Araceae family. It is native to North America, ranging from Quebec through Minnesota, extending south to Florida and Texas, where it grows in damp woods. It has also been recorded in northeastern Mexico, specifically the states of Nuevo León and Veracruz. When blooming, plants reach 20–50 centimetres (7.9–19.7 in) in height, and grow to 100 centimetres (39 in) tall after flowering. Every individual grows from a corm. Typically, a plant produces just one leaf with a long petiole. This leaf is made up of 7 to 13 leaflets; the central leaflet is the largest, and leaflets get smaller as they develop further from the center. The leaflets are held horizontally out over the rest of the plant. During spring flowering, a single slender green spathe, measuring 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) long, develops to cover a tapering, long thin spadix. The tail-like spadix grows out past the top of the spathe. After flowering, up to 150 berries grow in a club-shaped column. In late summer, the originally green berries turn orange-red, and each berry contains 1 to 3 seeds. This species is listed as vulnerable in Canada. In her written account of her 1830s travels through America, Harriet Martineau recorded observing a young woman rubbing her teeth with dragon-root.
