Full Specimen Plate
Arisaema sikokianum
Star of Bethlehem Arisaema
Arisaema sikokianum Morphology
About Arisaema sikokianum
Arisaema sikokianum is a tuberous woodland aroid from the deciduous forests of Shikoku and Honshu, Japan, grown not for its foliage but for one of the most striking inflorescences in the entire Araceae family. A deep purple-black striped spathe curls into a hood around a spadix that is a stark, brilliant white club — a colour contrast dramatic enough to have earned the species the nickname 'Star of Bethlehem' among hardy-aroid collectors. One or two long-petioled leaves, each divided into three to five leaflets, emerge from the tuber alongside or shortly after the bloom, then die back completely as the plant goes dormant for winter. Unlike the tropical aroids that dominate most collections, this is a genuinely hardy perennial suited to temperate woodland conditions, and it has become a quiet crossover favourite among collectors moving between tropical variegation-hunting and the separate world of hardy aroid and Arisaema collecting.
Market Analysis
Arisaema sikokianum Price Guide & Auction Value
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Before You Buy
Species-specific things to check when evaluating a listing
- Check the tuber is firm with no soft spots or mould before purchase
- Confirm whether you are buying a dormant tuber (typically shipped in autumn/winter) or an actively growing potted plant
- This is a hardy, deciduous species — dieback each year is expected dormancy, not plant failure
Propagation Guide
How to Propagate Arisaema sikokianum
2-3 years to flowering size from offset
Cultivar character is preserved through vegetative cuttings
Mature tubers slowly produce offset tubers that can be separated and grown on during dormancy.
Care Guide
Arisaema sikokianum Care Guide & Growing Conditions
Humus-rich, free-draining woodland mix: 50% leaf mould or compost, 30% grit, 20% perlite.
Keep evenly moist during active spring growth; allow to dry out once the foliage yellows for summer/winter dormancy.
Tolerates ordinary outdoor or greenhouse humidity — no special requirements.
Light balanced feed once or twice during active spring growth.
Annually or biennially during dormancy, checking tuber health and refreshing substrate.
Common Problems
Tuber rot
Waterlogged substrate during dormancy
Keep the dormant tuber cool and nearly dry until growth resumes in spring
No flower, leaves only
Tuber has not yet reached flowering size
Continue feeding during active growth over successive seasons to build tuber mass
The Hardy Aroid Crossover
It's easy to forget, surrounded by tropical variegation hunting, that Araceae also includes genuinely hardy woodland genera — Arisaema chief among them. Sikokianum's bloom is the reason it has a following well beyond hardy-plant specialists: the stark white spadix set inside a near-black hood is as dramatic as anything in the tropical side of the family, just achieved through form and contrast rather than leaf colour. From Shikoku and Honshu, Japan. A genuinely different kind of collecting from most of this catalogue, and worth trying if you have outdoor woodland space.
