DRACUNCULUS VULGARIS” (VOODOO LILY) LONG BLACK APPENDAGE

“DRACUNCULUS VULGARIS” (VOODOO LILY)“AMORPHOPHALLUS AROID”

• CATEGORY AMORPHOPHALLUS AROID
• VARIETY “DRACUNCULUS VULGARIS” (VOODOO LILY)
• DESCRIPTION LONG BLACK APPENDAGE FROM THE CENTRE (SPADIX) ENVELOPED BY A LARGE DEEP PURPLE-BLACK BRACT (SPATHE)
• HEIGHT 80 CM
• BLOOMS SUMMER
• SIZE 20/25
• QUANTITY PER UNIT 1

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

“Dracunculus Vulgaris” Schott (1832) Is The Most Spectacular Of The European Aroids. It Is Related To The Well-Known Arum Lily. Dracunculus Is Generally Called Dragon Lily Or Voodoo Lily.

Dracunculus Vulgaris Is An Amorphophallus Which Is An Exotic Plant In The Aroid Family. The Name Amorphophallus Comes From The Latin Amorpho (Deformed) And Phallus (A Male Anatomical Member) In Other Words The Flower Resembles A Deformed Male Sex Organ. This Is A Fact!!

The Foliage Is Very Attractive. The Stalks, Which Have Only As Few As Two Large Leaves On The Top, Make The Plants Already Very Pretty. The Plant Is A Rather Robust Solitary Herb, Sometimes Up To Two Metres High. The Stalks Are A Half To More Than One And A Half Metres Long, Pale To Light Grey-Green With Numerous Jagged Dark Purple To Almost Black Markings, Stout And Capable Of Supporting A Cluster Of Over One Metre In Length Without Additional Support. The Leaves Normally Die Back During Blooming.

But The Beauty At This Stage Barely Hints Of The Amazement That Is Still To Come: As The Cluster Unfolds. It Reveals A Long, Black Appendage From The Centre, Known As The Spadix, Which Can Reach A Total Length Of 135 Cm Enveloped By A Large Very Deep Purple-Black Bract, The Spathe, Which Can Reach A Total Length Of 125 Cm. What Looks Like One Flower Is In Reality A Cluster Of A Spadix, Bearing Numerous Flowers. In Most Plants The Cluster Is Not Longer Than 40-50 Cm, But Still Impressive Enough. The Actual Flowers Are Hidden Inside The Spathe, Which Features A Bulbous Chamber.

The Striking Beauty Of This Plant Can Be A Little Shocking, Like Many Araceae The Mature Clusters Spreads A Nauseous Dungy Rotten Meaty Odour. The Nasty Smell Of Rotting Meat Is Designed To Attract Flies For Pollination. Fortunately The Smell Usually Lasts For Only One Day.

It Should Benoticed However That Dracunculus Vulgaris Displays Much Variation In Overall Size, Degree Of Leaf Division And Leaf Marking.

They Spread By Self-Seeding And By Bulb Offsets. The Seedheads Will Eventually Fall Down And Be Carried Away By Water And (With Soil) By Men, Spreading The Dragon Arum More Distantly.

IT IS A POISONOUS PLANT THAT ANIMALS DO NOT TOUCH

Plant 15cm Deep In Autumn Or Spring In Moist-Rich Soil That Dries Out In Summer. Grows Best In Full Sun But Will Tolerate Partial Shade. Protect With Mulch In The Winter, Grows Well In Open Glades In Sheltered Woodland Or At The Base Of A Sunny Wall.