Dragon Root (Arisaema dracontium) is native to eastern North America and belongs to the Arum family. There are approximately 170 recognized species[1] of Arisaema today. Arisaema is coined from two Greek words, “Aris” which means arum, and “Haema” which means blood.
The Dragon Root is also known by the common names of the green dragon and dragon arum. It takes a little imagination to match the plant with the name. The flower spathe is slightly similar to the fire-breathing dragon, with the sweeping blade representing the dragon’s wings.
The flower stands on a stalk that branches off from the leaf stem close to the ground. The greenish-yellow flowers are surrounded by a green mantle called a spathe. From the flower’s top comes a long, pointed wand known as a spadix.
This highly-valued plant has a single leaf that is severely divided into 5 to 15 deep lobes. The dark green leaves are enormous, reaching over a foot wide in adult plants. The stem is high, thick, and smooth, and the plants are 1 to 4 feet tall.
