Voodoo Lily

Every once in a while you come across a plant so weird and unusual that you just don’t quite know what to say.  These plants don’t have any of the traditional flower traits that we normally value like vibrant color, pleasing scent, or overall attractiveness.  They are, well, just plain weird.  Complete oddities.  So here’s one of the weirder that you can grow in our area.

Amorphophallus rivieri, or the Voodoo Lily, is the little brother of Amorphophallus titanum, which holds claim to the largest flower on earth (up to 8′ tall).  A. titanum needs it to be constantly warm, and is usually relegated to conservatories where they draw huge crowds of people and the local news if they can get it to flower.  A. rivieri grows just fine outdoors in our area though, and has an equally odd-looking flower that grows to only a few feet tall (still plenty of weird to go around).

We just happen to have a supply of mature Voodoo Lily, that are currently in flower and ready to go home and be planted in your yard.  We must warn you, they tend to put off an interesting aroma at the height of their bloom, strong enough to attract the flies that pollinate them.  This odor wears off quickly though, and is just another part of the total weirdness that is the Voodoo Lily.  You know you want one!