Rude Plant

Would you own a plant that only blooms every 3 or 4 years; is the color of raw meat; smells like July roadkill; and whose shape is... decidedly masculine in a well endowed sort of way?

Amorphophallus konjac is an Aroid, and its common names include Voodoo Lily, Snake Palm, Elephant Yam or Devil's Tongue (although it could just as easily be mistaken for another part of Satan's anatomy). I planted a couple of bagel-shaped corms about 10 years ago, and this is only the second or third bloom I have had. I get foliage every year, which comes up late in the season on a dark colored stem, blotched with fleshy colored spots causing it to look like it has Vitiligo. The leaves sit on top of this stalk and remind me of a Cut-leaf Philodendron in shape and have a somewhat iridescent blue-green color. Even if it doesn't bloom, the foliage alone is worth having in a partially shaded garden. Plant Delights lists this for sale and states that it is hardy in zones 6-10, and I have found it to be very drought tolerant.

In the years when it does flower, it sends up the bloom shaft a good month before foliage emerges. The whole thing slowly unfolds over a period of a week or so, and once it reaches its full glory, the smell begins. I know my neighbors must think that we have a dead squirrel in the backyard or that we forgot to double-bag spoiled meat before putting it in the trash. I read once that it is pollinated by flies which may explain the unusual fragrance and colors.

In doing a little research on this Amorphophallus I learned that it is consumed as a food and as a diet aid. Apparently the corm is extremely gelatinous and very high in fiber. Various jelly candy is made from it in Asia, and according to Wikipedia, some have been responsible for 17 choking deaths in since 1995. When taken medicinally it is used to treat obesity and diabetes. The body will not digest Amorphophallus, but it makes you feel full, slows digestion and carbohydrate absorption, as well as apparently doing a little deep colon cleansing on the way out. I will just enjoy it as a garden oddity and let someone else experience its other benefits.



When it has finished blooming, the whole thing collapses to the ground, and no little blue pill from Pfizer will revive it. I will have to wait another 3 years to see it bloom again.