212 Species of Genus Arisaema

The Enigmatic Allure of Arisaema: A Personal Exploration

My name is Ferb Vu, and I’m captivated by the botanical world, particularly by the intriguing genus Arisaema. These plants, often known as “cobra lilies” or “jack-in-the-pulpit,” possess a unique morphology and fascinating life cycle that has drawn me to their study. Native to various regions across the globe, from the temperate forests of North America to the subtropical mountains of Asia, Arisaema species exhibit a remarkable diversity in form and color.

A Diverse and Global Genus

The genus Arisaema encompasses approximately 200 recognized species. This extensive group displays a striking array of characteristics, ranging from the demure elegance of Arisaema triphyllum with its three-lobed leaves and striped spathe, to the flamboyant and almost otherworldly appearance of Arisaema speciosum, boasting a deep purple spathe and a long, thread-like spadix.

  1. Arisaema abei Seriz.
  2. Arisaema acuminatum Small
  3. Arisaema aequinoctiale Nakai & F.Maek.
  4. Arisaema agasthyanum Sivad. & C.S.Kumar
  5. Arisaema album N.E.Br.
  6. Arisaema amurense Maxim.
  7. Arisaema anatinum Brugg.
  8. Arisaema angustatum Franch. & Sav.
  9. Arisaema anomalum Hemsl.
  10. Arisaema aprile J.Murata
  11. Arisaema aridum H.Li
  12. Arisaema arunachalensis Nangkar, A.P.Das & Tag
  13. Arisaema asperatum N.E.Br.
  14. Arisaema attenuatum E.Barnes & C.E.C.Fisch.
  15. Arisaema auriculatum Buchet
  16. Arisaema austroyunnanense H.Li
  17. Arisaema averyanovii V.D.Nguyen & P.C.Boyce
  18. Arisaema balansae Engl.
  19. Arisaema bannaense H.Li
  20. Arisaema barbatum Buchet
  21. Arisaema barnesii C.E.C.Fisch.
  22. Arisaema bathycoleum Hand.-Mazz.
  23. Arisaema bockii Engl.
  24. Arisaema bogneri P.C.Boyce & H.Li
  25. Arisaema bonatianum Engl.
  26. Arisaema bottae Schott
  27. Arisaema brinchangense Y.W.Low, Scherber. & Gusman
  28. Arisaema brucei H.Li, R.Li & J.Murata
  29. Arisaema burmaense P.C.Boyce & H.Li
  30. Arisaema calcareum H.Li
  31. Arisaema candidissimum W.W.Sm.
  32. Arisaema caudatum Engl.
  33. Arisaema chauvanminhii Luu, Q.D.Nguyen & N.L.Vu
  34. Arisaema chenii Z.X.Ma & Yi Jun Huang
  35. Arisaema chumponense Gagnep.
  36. Arisaema ciliatum H.Li
  37. Arisaema clavatum Buchet
  38. Arisaema claviforme Brugg., J.Ponert, Rybková & Vuong
  39. Arisaema concinnum Schott
  40. Arisaema condaoense V.D.Nguyen
  41. Arisaema consanguineum Schott
  42. Arisaema constrictum E.Barnes
  43. Arisaema cordatum N.E.Br.
  44. Arisaema costatum (Wall.) Mart.
  45. Arisaema cucullatum M.Hotta
  46. Arisaema dahaiense H.Li
  47. Arisaema decipiens Schott
  48. Arisaema dracontium (L.) Schott
  49. Arisaema echinatum (Wall.) Schott
  50. Arisaema echinoides H.Li
  51. Arisaema ehimense J.Murata & J.Ohno
  52. Arisaema elephas Buchet
  53. Arisaema enneaphyllum Hochst. ex A.Rich.
  54. Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott
  55. Arisaema exappendiculatum H.Hara
  56. Arisaema fargesii Buchet
  57. Arisaema filiforme (Reinw.) Blume
  58. Arisaema fimbriatum Mast.
  59. Arisaema fischeri Manudev & Nampy
  60. Arisaema flavum (Forssk.) Schott
  61. Arisaema formosanum (Hayata) Hayata
  62. Arisaema franchetianum Engl.
  63. Arisaema fraternum Schott
  64. Arisaema galeatum N.E.Br.
  65. Arisaema garrettii Gagnep.
  66. Arisaema ghaticum (Sardesai, S.P.Gaikwad & S.R.Yadav) Punekar & Kumaran
  67. Arisaema grapsospadix Hayata
  68. Arisaema griffithii Schott
  69. Arisaema guangxiense G.W.Hu & H.Li
  70. Arisaema guanwuense S.S.Ying
  71. Arisaema hainanense C.Y.Wu ex H.Li, Y.Shiao & S.L.Tseng
  72. Arisaema handelii Stapf ex Hand.-Mazz.
  73. Arisaema heterocephalum Koidz.
  74. Arisaema heterophyllum Blume
  75. Arisaema honbaense Luu, Tich, G.Tran & V.D.Nguyen
  76. Arisaema hunanense Hand.-Mazz.
  77. Arisaema ilanense J.C.Wang
  78. Arisaema inaense (Seriz.) Seriz. ex K.Sasam. & J.Murata
  79. Arisaema inclusum (N.E.Br.) N.E.Br. ex B.D.Jacks.
  80. Arisaema intermedium Blume
  81. Arisaema ishizuchiense Murata
  82. Arisaema iyoanum Makino
  83. Arisaema jacquemontii Blume
  84. Arisaema japonicum Blume
  85. Arisaema jethompsonii Thiyagaraj & P.Daniel
  86. Arisaema jingdongense H.Peng & H.Li
  87. Arisaema kawashimae Seriz.
  88. Arisaema kayahense J.Murata
  89. Arisaema kerrii Craib
  90. Arisaema kishidae Makino ex Nakai
  91. Arisaema kiushianum Makino
  92. Arisaema kuratae Seriz.
  93. Arisaema lackneri Engl.
  94. Arisaema laminatum Blume
  95. Arisaema langbiangense Luu, Nguyen-Phi & H.T.Van
  96. Arisaema leschenaultii Blume
  97. Arisaema lichiangense W.W.Sm.
  98. Arisaema lidaense J.Murata & S.K.Wu
  99. Arisaema liemiana Luu, H.T.Van, H.C.Nguyen & V.D.Nguyen
  100. Arisaema lihengianum J.Murata & S.K.Wu
  101. Arisaema limbatum Nakai & F.Maek.
  102. Arisaema lingyunense H.Li
  103. Arisaema lobatum Engl.
  104. Arisaema longipedunculatum M.Hotta
  105. Arisaema longitubum Z.X.Ma
  106. Arisaema lushuiense G.W.Hu & H.Li
  107. Arisaema macrospathum Benth.
  108. Arisaema madhuanum Nampy & Manudev
  109. Arisaema maekawae J.Murata & S.Kakish.
  110. Arisaema mairei H.Lév.
  111. Arisaema maximowiczii (Engl.) Nakai
  112. Arisaema maxwellii Hett. & Gusman
  113. Arisaema mayebarae Nakai
  114. Arisaema melanostoma Z.X.Ma, X.Yun Wang & W.Y.Du
  115. Arisaema meleagris Buchet
  116. Arisaema menglaense Y.H.Ji, H.Li & Z.F.Xu
  117. Arisaema microspadix Engl.
  118. Arisaema mildbraedii Engl.
  119. Arisaema minamitanii Seriz.
  120. Arisaema minus (Seriz.) J.Murata
  121. Arisaema monophyllum Nakai
  122. Arisaema mooneyanum M.G.Gilbert & Mayo
  123. Arisaema muratae Gusman & J.T.Yin
  124. Arisaema muricaudatum Sivad.
  125. Arisaema murrayi (J.Graham) Hook.
  126. Arisaema nagiense Tom.Kobay., K.Sasam. & J.Murata
  127. Arisaema nambae Kitam.
  128. Arisaema negishii Makino
  129. Arisaema nepenthoides (Wall.) Mart.
  130. Arisaema nikoense Nakai
  131. Arisaema nilamburense Sivad.
  132. Arisaema nonghinense Klinrat. & Yannawat
  133. Arisaema odoratum J.Murata & S.K.Wu
  134. Arisaema ogatae Koidz.
  135. Arisaema omkoiense Gusman
  136. Arisaema ornatum Miq.
  137. Arisaema ovale Nakai
  138. Arisaema pachystachyum Hett. & Gusman
  139. Arisaema pallidum Engl.
  140. Arisaema pangii H.Li
  141. Arisaema parisifolium J.Murata
  142. Arisaema parvum N.E.Br. ex Hemsl.
  143. Arisaema pattaniense Gagnep.
  144. Arisaema peerumedense J.Mathew
  145. Arisaema peltatum C.E.C.Fisch.
  146. Arisaema penicillatum N.E.Br.
  147. Arisaema petelotii K.Krause
  148. Arisaema petiolulatum Hook.f.
  149. Arisaema pianmaense H.Li
  150. Arisaema pierreanum Engl.
  151. Arisaema pingbianense H.Li
  152. Arisaema polyphyllum (Blanco) Merr.
  153. Arisaema prazeri Hook.f.
  154. Arisaema propinquum Schott
  155. Arisaema pseudoangustatum Seriz.
  156. Arisaema psittacus E.Barnes
  157. Arisaema pusillum (Peck) Nash
  158. Arisaema quinatum (Nutt.) Schott
  159. Arisaema ramulosum Alderw.
  160. Arisaema ringens (Thunb.) Schott
  161. Arisaema rostratum V.D.Nguyen & P.C.Boyce
  162. Arisaema roxburghii Kunth
  163. Arisaema rubrirhizomatum H.Li & J.Murata
  164. Arisaema ruwenzoricum N.E.Br.
  165. Arisaema sachalinense (Miyabe & Kudô) J.Murata
  166. Arisaema saddlepeakense P.S.N.Rao & S.K.Srivast.
  167. Arisaema sarracenioides E.Barnes & C.E.C.Fisch.
  168. Arisaema saxatile Buchet
  169. Arisaema sazensoo (Blume) Makino
  170. Arisaema schimperianum Schott
  171. Arisaema scortechinii Hook.f.
  172. Arisaema seppikoense Kitam.
  173. Arisaema serratum (Thunb.) Schott
  174. Arisaema setosum A.S.Rao & D.M.Verma
  175. Arisaema siamicum Gagnep.
  176. Arisaema sikokianum Franch. & Sav.
  177. Arisaema silvestrii Pamp.
  178. Arisaema sinii K.Krause
  179. Arisaema sizemoreae Hett. & Gusman
  180. Arisaema smitinandii S.Y.Hu
  181. Arisaema somalense M.G.Gilbert & Mayo
  182. Arisaema souliei Buchet
  183. Arisaema speciosum (Wall.) Mart.
  184. Arisaema stewardsonii Britton
  185. Arisaema subulatum Manudev & Nampy
  186. Arisaema sukotaiense Gagnep.
  187. Arisaema taiwanense J.Murata
  188. Arisaema tashiroi Kitam.
  189. Arisaema tengtsungense H.Li
  190. Arisaema ternatipartitum Makino
  191. Arisaema thunbergii Blume
  192. Arisaema tortuosum (Wall.) Schott
  193. Arisaema tosaense Makino
  194. Arisaema translucens C.E.C.Fisch.
  195. Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott
  196. Arisaema tuberculatum C.E.C.Fisch.
  197. Arisaema ulugurense M.G.Gilbert & Mayo
  198. Arisaema umbrinum Ridl.
  199. Arisaema undulatifolium Nakai
  200. Arisaema utile Hook.f. ex Schott
  201. Arisaema vexillatum H.Hara & H.Ohashi
  202. Arisaema victoriae V.D.Nguyen
  203. Arisaema vietnamense Luu, Q.B.Nguyen, H.C.Nguyen & T.Q.T.Nguyen
  204. Arisaema wangmoense M.T.An, H.H.Zhang & Q.Lin
  205. Arisaema wardii C.Marquand & Airy Shaw
  206. Arisaema wattii Hook.f.
  207. Arisaema wilsonii Engl.
  208. Arisaema wrayi Hemsl.
  209. Arisaema xuanweiense H.Li
  210. Arisaema yamatense (Nakai) Nakai
  211. Arisaema yunnanense Buchet
  212. Arisaema zhui H.Li

The Intriguing Life of Arisaema

What truly fascinates me about Arisaema is their unique life cycle. These plants exhibit a phenomenon known as sequential hermaphroditism, meaning they can change their sex from male to female or vice versa throughout their lifespan. This change is often influenced by environmental factors such as resource availability. In times of scarcity, the plant may conserve energy by producing male flowers, while in more favorable conditions, it may transition to female flowering to produce seeds.

This remarkable adaptability is a testament to the resilience of Arisaema and their ability to thrive in diverse environments. Their life cycle is a complex and captivating process, offering a glimpse into the intricate strategies plants employ to ensure their survival.

The Allure of the Uncommon

Arisaema are not your typical garden-variety plants. Their unusual appearance, with their hooded spathes and often elongated spadices, sets them apart from the more common floral forms. This unique morphology, coupled with their intriguing life cycle, gives them an air of mystery and allure. They are plants that invite closer inspection, prompting curiosity and wonder.

For me, the appeal of Arisaema lies in their ability to challenge conventional notions of beauty and adaptation. They are a reminder that nature is full of surprises and that there is always more to discover.

A Personal Connection

My fascination with Arisaema stems from a deep appreciation for the natural world and a desire to understand the intricate processes that govern life on Earth. These plants, with their unique beauty and remarkable adaptability, embody the wonders of nature and inspire me to continue exploring the botanical world.

I believe that Arisaema, with their captivating forms and intriguing life cycles, deserve greater recognition and appreciation. They are a testament to the diversity and resilience of life on our planet, and they serve as a constant reminder of the beauty and wonder that can be found in the natural world.

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