This genus has about 150 species. The name comes from the Greek for "Arum" and "blood" referring to the leaf color of some of the species.

Jack in the Pulpits are a fine addition to any shade garden. They make an excellent companion of such plants as hostas.

Jack in the Pulpit and Trilliums both have leaves that appear in threes on the stem. If you don't look closely, they can be confusing. As you can see in the illustration below, Jack in the Pulpit leaves are at right angles to each other while those of Trillium are at much wider angles to each other.