Jack-in-the-pulpit
Jack-in-the-pulpit
It’s easy to see how this little plant got its name. It looks like a
little man in a pulpit, ready to give a sermon. It’s called
Jack-in-the-pulpit because “Jack” is another word for a man or boy, just
as “Jill” means a girl.
Jack-in-the-pulpit is sometimes called Indian turnip. That’s because
Indians used to eat the root, which looks somewhat like a turnip. The
Indians didn’t eat the roots raw, though. The roots have poison in them.
The Indians let the roots dry in the sun for a long time. That got rid
of the poison.
Jack-in-the-pulpit has a relative that grows in England and other parts
of Europe. It looks much like Jack-in-the-pulpit, but is called a
cuckoopint.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Is preaching today.
What do you think
He is going to say?
I’m sure I know well
The message he’ll bring:
Be glad for a green world!
Be glad it is spring!
Jack-in-the-Pulpit Leland B. Jacobs