Araceae cousins are typified by a flower-covered spadix shrouded by a hooded spathe. Hardy and tropical aroid leaves and flowers in early summer from: Call lily (Zantedeschia ‘Crystal Blush’); Arisaema fargesii inflorescence (beneath Alocasia leaf); nearly white Caladium x hortulanum ‘Candidum’ leaf; three colorful small Syngonium ‘Strawberry Cream’ leaves; dwarf Alocasia amazonica ‘Polly’ with metallic veins; and a matte gray-green Colocascia esculenta ‘Fontanesii’ leaf.

Besides the two classes, there are two divisions of plants with seeds— monocotyledons and dicotyledons. The former sprouts from a seed with a single leaf, while the latter sends up a two-parted leaf. Next botany lesson: Some genera have male and female flowers on separate individuals; most have both sexes in the same flower, but avoid self-pollination, perhaps by releasing male pollen when the female flowers are no longer receptive. None of that is weird, but one thing about the best-known cold-hardy members of the Araceae family is odd. The Arisaema, Jack-in-the-pulpits, can change genders from year to year depending on environmental conditions. After a season with good moisture and sunlight, the plant will be female, and following a lean season, male.

Plants in the family Araceae are typified by an inflorescence that has a hooded spathe enfolding a flower-covered spadix. These plants are collectively known as aroids. There are two North American Arisaema species, A. triphyllum and A. dracontium (green dragon), and perhaps 100 Asian species—we don’t know for sure.

Some of the best-known tropical aroids are also ornamental houseplants like philodendron, peace lily (Spathiphyllum), arrowhead vines (Syngonium podophyllum varieties), Anthurium spp., Aglaonema (Chinese evergreen), and dumb cane (Dieffenbachia). For outdoor summer gardens, there are calla lilies, many tuberous-rooted caladiums, and elephant ears (Alocasia spp., Xanthosoma spp. and Colocasia spp.).

True taro (Colocasia esculenta), native to Southeast Asia, is an important and ancient food source, also known as dasheen, elephant yam, and as the source of Hawaiian poi. Eating Colocasia seems a bit startling once you learn that taro and just about all of the aroids contain poisonous calcium oxalate crystals. Dumb cane got its name for the near-paralyzing effect it has on one’s vocal cords if ingested. Fortunately, the toxins in taro can be destroyed through elaborate preparation. I can’t imagine how people discovered this cooking process.

Many of the cold-hardy plants in the family have “thermogenic” properties: They can raise the temperature within the spathe to attract pollinators (usually beetles) by offering them a warm shelter. Our eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) does this in late winter within its wine and mustard-colored spathe. The yellow western North American skunk cabbage and its white Japanese counterpart (Lysichiton americanum, L. camtschatcensis) also bloom in late winter before nearly any other plants. These arguably more ornamental species can be grown to highlight the emerging leaves of other moisture-loving plants like red maple with its colorful flowers and leaf buds.

Common swamp-dwelling skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) blooms beneath flowering red maple trees. The Western U.S. skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) has a yellow spathe, and its Japanese counterpart L. camtschatcensis (shown) is white.