Arisaema

Arisaemas - the cobra lilies

A group of Arisaema consanguineun

Now before I start, let me say that I am no expert on this subject, but as they have been in the news recently (Chelsea flower show), I thought I might share my experiences of them. I first encountered them on a plant hunting trip to Tibet in 1995, when I shared a tent with a plant expert from Scotland called Anne Chambers. Now Anne is a plant expert, and for once I shut up and listened (because that is how you learn). Now Anne was seriously looking for Arisaemas, and once I had an idea of what to look for, I went on my jolly way keeping half an eye open for them. As often happens when you are in the-hardly-explored parts of the world, your best finds are often made in the process of hunting for a suitable 'loo' spot, and this was no exception. There was this rather innocent looking, though charming little green Arisaema, which I think was called Arisaema fraternum. Anne was ecstatic, because I recall, it was slightly different to the type, as it had a serrated edge. (I will try to locate the slides and scan them for a later blog). She found other fine examples of the family on this trip, such as Arisaemas elephas and griffithii, but I'm afraid I have no pictures of them.

Arisaema consanguineum

On my next trip to Tibet in 1997, I came across a bigger, bolder specimen of the family, called Arisaema consanguineum. We found it near the confluence of the two mighty branches of the Tsangpo river, which flows down through Tibet, to be re-named the Brahmaputra at the border, which flows out into the Bay of Bengal forming the great fertile delta of southern Bangladesh. This confluence of the Yarlung Tsangpo and the Po Tsangpo rivers, causes a mighty raging torrent, where the air is hot and humid, and the plants grow in lush abundance. Here, Arisaema consanguineum forms mighty plants  3 feet tall, with a head leaf spread of 12 to 15 inches. This was not the remarkable thing, however. From each tip of the leaflet hung a wonderfully disguised leach! Ughhh! My companions were amused by my horror of such things. A little later, on our return to the UK, Anne kindly sent me some seeds, and the plants have been happily growing in my garden ever since, though not in the spectacular proportions of those growing on the road to Zayul.

Arisaema candidissimum

Recently I bought some (rather expensive) tubers of Arisaema candidissimum. These are probably the prettiest Arisaemas from the ordinary gardener's point of view. On receipt of the tubers, I immediately prepared for potting them up, and was rather confounded when I discovered a bowl-shaped tuber, with no obvious indication of which way up to plant the d--- thing! Needless to say, I planted it the wrong way round, and had to do a quick reversal when I realised the shoot tip was not appearing when it should have been! So, the round side goes down and the the flat/concave side goes up. I won't make that mistake again.

Yes they are a bit weird and slightly sinister looking; perhaps you have to be a certain age to appreciate these fascinating plants! Arisaemas - worth the effort and expense, as they are beautiful unusual plants, and great talking points at parties!


P.S. Sorry for not posting for a long time. I have been ill. Getting a bit better now that I'm on the right medication!