1892 C. F. Millspaugh 167-2 The corms..have a severely acrid juice, imparting an almost caustic sensation to the mucus membranes..when chewed. This action upon the mouths of school-boys, who often..play the trick of inviting bites of the corm upon each other, gave rise to the common name, ‘memory root’, as they never forget its effects.
1971 A. Krochmal et al. 62 Arisaema triphyllum..memory root, pepper turnip.
1975 26 June b3 A third name for the plant [sc. jack-in-the-pulpit] is ‘memory Root’ [sic] because, once tasted raw, it cannot ever be forgotten.