Pinellia tripartita
Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Arisaema tripartitum
- Phonetic Spelling
- pi-NEL-lee-ah try-par-TEE-tah
- Description
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Green Dragon is a flowering, herbaceous perennial in the arum family and is related to Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema). It is native to the forests and roadsides of southeastern China, Japan, and Korea. At maturity, it can reach a height of 18 inches with a 12 inch spread. It is a shade loving plant that will produce complex yellowishg-green blossoms from spring into summer and showy green berries in the fall. The genus name honors Giovanni Vincenzo Pinelli, a sixteenth century Italian botanist. The species name comes from the Latin for "three parts" in reference to the trifoliate (three-parted) leaves. The common name, Green Dragon, refers to the shape and color of the flower structure.
Green Dragon does best in moist, fertile or humusy, well-drained soils sited in part shade to full shade. The plant will tolerate clay and sandy soils. It is a tuberous geophyte with leaf petioles and flower spikes rising from underground tubers and it can spread in the garden by means of bulb offsets and self-seeding. However, it is not aggressive and is not considered invasive.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems:
No known diseases or insect pests.
- See this plant in the following landscape :
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Pinellia
- Species:
- tripartita
- Family:
- Araceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southeast China, Central and Southern Japan, Korea,
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Clumping
- Creeping
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Description:
- Pollinated female flowers develop showy one-seeded berries which ripen in fall to green.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Green
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Spadix
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Tubular
- Flower Description:
- Spikes rising from the leaves end in a bloom (similar to a calla-lily). This bloom is a pale green spadix containing both male and female flowers. The spadix, in turn, is wrapped by a tubular spathe and blade. The spadix is fused to the inside of the spathe, causing all the flowers on the spadix to face in the same direction. A long, whip-like extension extends from the spathe 7 to 10 inches. Yellowish-green flowers bloom on the spadix from May to July.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Each upright leaf petiole is terminated by a single trifoliate green leaf (each of the three leaflets are 3 to 8 inches long).
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Leafless spikes rise above the leaves to support flowers.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Rock Garden
- Shade Garden
- Design Feature:
- Small groups
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Heavy Shade
