わが国の各地をはじめ、朝鮮半島や中国東北部に分布しています。平地から山地の林内や林縁に生え、高さは30〜100センチになります。偽茎の先端に鳥足状に分裂する2個の葉をつけます。小葉はかたちに変異が多く、7〜19個あります。4月から6月ごろ、緑色または褐紫色の仏炎苞に包まれた花を咲かせます。付属体は棒状あるいは棍棒状です。秋になると真っ赤な果実が熟します。和名は、偽茎の模様が「まむし(蝮)」のように見えることから。別名で「かんとうまむしぐさ(関東蝮草)」とも呼ばれます。中国名では「細歯南星(xi chi nan xing)」。
The "Mamushi-gusa" (Arisaema serratum) belongs to Araceae (the Arum family). It is a perennial herb that is native to Japan, as well as the Korean Peninsula and east-northern China. This herb grows in flatland to montane forests or forest edges, and can reach 30-100 cm in height. The leaves are pedatifid compound and arranged on the pseudostem. The leaflets are 7-19 pieces and highly variable in shape. The flowers bloom in the spadix covered withgreen or brown-purple spathe from April to June. The elongated appendix is stick-shaped or club-shaped. Th fruits ripen red in fall. The name comes from the fact that the pattern of the pseudostem looks like a "mamushi" (viper). It is also known as "Kanto-mamushi-gusa" in Japan. The Chinese name is "細歯南星" (xi chi nan xing).