Scientific details

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Arisaema dracontium

 COMMON NAME(S): Green dragon
SYNONYM(S): Muricanda dracontium (L.) Small
FAMILY: ARACEAE - Arum family
ORIGIN: Eastern United States
HABITAT: Low, rich woods
RANGE: Throughout eastern United States, south to Central Florida
TYPE: Herbaceous perennial
HEIGHT: 2-3'
CHARACTERISTICS: Underground potato-like stem
LEAVES: Only one produced, to 18" tall; with 7-15 leaflets atop a long leaf stem
FLOWERS: Tiny, congested on a dense spike enclosed below by a greenish-white bract or spathe
FLOWERING SEASON: Spring
FRUITS: Orange-red berries in a tight cluster

ALLERGENIC COMPONENTS: All parts
ALLERGENIC PRINCIPLES: Calcium oxalate
ALLERGENIC PROPERTIES: Dermatological and eye irritant
COMMENTS: Like many members of the arum family, all parts of green dragon contain calcium oxalate crystals which can irritate skin and eyes.
Information contained in the pages of Allergenica.com was compiled from a variety of references, however plants growing under different environmental conditions often vary considerably in some characteristics and behavior, and there is no guarantee that a given plant will always conform to the description provided nor will always affect the body's sensitivity to allergens in ways described here. Allergenica.com and Betrock Information Systems assume neither responsibility nor liability for the information presented in these pages.
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