Arisaema Candidissimum

Arisaema candidissimum is one of the most beautiful cobra lilies, producing a broad hooded spathe in luminous white, softly striped and flushed with shell pink and green. The flower often appears before the single leaf has fully expanded, then a bold umbrella of three large leaflets develops above it. Its name means shining white, an apt description of the pale, almost porcelain spathe. Native to oak woods and scrub in south-western China at high elevation, it is compact enough for a shaded container or woodland edge. The tuber emerges late in spring and appreciates warmth in summer, humus-rich soil and protection from winter wet.