[2] It is a member of the Arisaema triphyllum complex, a group of closely related taxa in eastern North America.

[4] The shape of the spathe hood and the curved spadix appendix make this taxon easily recognizable, usually even as a herbarium specimen.

[6] Its type specimen was collected in Georgia by "Dr. Baldwyn",[7] apparently a reference to American physician and botanist William Baldwin.

[10] Its type specimen was collected on the banks of the French Broad River in eastern Tennessee.

[19][14][4][20][21][15][22] Arisaema quinatum is narrowly endemic to the southeastern United States, ranging from North Carolina to east Texas.

[23] A disjunct population occurs in the central portion of the Florida Panhandle, in Walton, Liberty, Leon, and Jefferson counties, where the species is commonly known as Prester John.