Arisaema Nepenthoides

Arisaema nepenthoides is a spectacular Himalayan cobra lily whose flower resembles a small pitcher plant, the likeness captured by the name nepenthoides. The mottled green, brown and purple spathe rises on a stout spotted stem and develops broad, rounded, recurving side flaps around its mouth. Above it spreads a large divided leaf, usually with five leaflets, creating a bold tropical outline despite the plant's mountain origin. Found in moist temperate forests from Nepal and Bhutan into south-western China, it is a choice woodland specimen for rich, free-draining soil, summer moisture and shelter from severe frost.