Helmet Cobra Lily is a distinctive species from the
Himalayas. The spathe hood is strongly curled over at the top, giving
it a similar appearance of a lime-green helmet. The spathe is dark
green with paler green longitudinal stripes and at the base of the
spathe the colouration is characteristically orangeish. The spadix is
not as attenuated as some Arisaemas and tends to point downwards. The
textured, tripartite green leaf, often edged in purple, is similar to
Grand Cobra Lily, with which it
grows. The early spring flower emerges with the foliage and sits atop a
short stem near the ground. Helmet Cobra Lily has become an
interesting garden plant in the West. It is endemic to Eastern
Himalayas from Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Darjeeling to Bhutan,
Northern Myanmar and SW China at elevations of 1300-2500 m.
Identification credit: Pascal Bruggeman
Photographed in Lava, Kalimpong, West Bengal.
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The flower labeled Helmet Cobra Lily is ...