Arisaema jacquemontii (Jacquemont’s cobra lily)

Native to Afghanistan, China, India, Nepal and Pakistan. Arisaema jacquemontii is fairly common in Himalayan forests at 2,300–4,300 m above sea level. It also occurs in the Nilgiri Hills in southern India, and the Khasi Hills region of north-east India.

Like all members of the genus Arisaema, Jacquemont’s cobra lily is a tuberous perennial. It grows to about 70 cm tall and dies back to ground level in the winter or dry season. It usually has two palmate (hand-shaped) leaves, each with five to nine leaflets. The spathe (sheathing bract) is green on the outside and pale-green inside, with faint white stripes, and arches over the spadix (unbranched inflorescence), its tip elongated and coiled. The spadix is unisexual and has a white or purple, tail-like tip. The fruits are globose berries, which are red when mature. All parts of the plant are poisonous.

There are no known threats to this common species. However, a 1980s survey of the Khasi Hills (a montane region in north-east India) reported the species to be uncommon in the forests there, and noted a general decline in the populations of all the plants used medicinally by local people, some species having disappeared altogether due in part to deforestation.

Conservation assessments carried out at Kew

Arisaema jacquemontii is being monitored as part of the IUCN Sampled Red List Index for Plants, which aims to produce conservation assessments for a representative sample of the world’s plant species. This information will then be used to monitor trends in extinction risk and help focus conservation efforts where they are needed most.

Learn more about some of the plants that were assessed as part of this project.

Use Kew's interactive map and charts to explore the state of plant life around the world and find out more about plants at risk.

Fresh vegetables are scarce in many rural areas of Nepal, as people do not own large fields to grow vegetables year-round, and most villagers cannot afford to buy fresh vegetables in the markets. In addition, the climate in the Himalaya is too harsh in winter for many crops to grow. To counter the frequent lack of fresh vegetables, Nepalese villagers dry or ferment available green vegetables for later use. ‘Gundruk’ is prepared by fermenting leafy vegetables (such as various species of Brassica), or the leaves of wild plants. Despite being poisonous if eaten raw, the leaves of Arisaema jacquemontii are used in this way. Fermentation helps to break down the toxic ingredients. The tubers are also dug up, boiled and eaten like potatoes. In India, the tubers are crushed and the juice used for treating ringworm and various other skin diseases. Jacquemont’s cobra lily is widely cultivated as an ornamental.

The Millennium Seed Bank partnership aims to save plant life worldwide, focusing on plants under threat and those of most use in the future. Seeds are dried, packaged and stored at a sub-zero temperature in Kew's seed bank vault at Wakehurst.

Description of seeds: Average 1,000 seed weight = 10.9 g.
Collections stored in the Millennium Seed Bank: One.
Composition values: Average oil content = 1.8%. Average protein content = 14%.

Arisaema jacquemontii can be seen growing in the Water Garden and Bog Garden at Wakehurst.

Dried and alcohol-preserved specimens of Arisaema jacquemontii are held in Kew’s Herbarium, where they are available to researchers from around the world by appointment. The details of some of these, including some images, can be seen on-line in the Herbarium Catalogue.

Search Kew’s science databases for more information on this species

Kew’s Sampled Red List Index for Plants Project

eMonocot Project

eFloras – Flora of China - Arisaema jacquemontii

eFloras – Flora of Pakistan - Arisaema jacquemontii