The spooky and unusual Voodoo Plant

It’s not often that a single bloom on one plant in a garden becomes a newsworthy event; however, there is one notable exception that seems to pop up once in a while. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Corpse Flower, or titan arum, a unique plant native to Southeast Asia known for both the enormous size of its singular flower and the incredible pungency produced by that bloom. Corpse Flower, known botanically as Amorphophallus titanium, is the kind of plant you typically only see in botanical gardens, arboreta, university greenhouses, or other public-garden spaces. Any garden that has a corpse flower is happy to show it off on the rare occasion of its bloom, which may only happen once every 7 to 10 years, and last for as little as 36 hours. Long lines of people will wait for a chance to see and smell this rare flower that is as large or larger than they are, and some watch on live internet streams as the gigantic blossom slowly opens.

This is not the type of plant that an average, or even above-average gardener can grow in their backyard for a few reasons. First, this plant is not cold hardy in our area. Secondly, it needs pretty meticulous and specialized care to survive and thrive. There are, however, more accessible Amorphophallus relatives that offer some of the same interesting characteristics and conversation-starting curiosity.

You might be reading this and silently asking yourself why you would want a stinky flower in your yard. You may not, but not all gardeners like solely the knock-your-socks off, traditionally pretty plants. Some of us like the weird stuff, too. Maybe you’re always looking for the next unusual plant to add to the garden, or perhaps you are a Halloween enthusiast and want something ‘spooky’ to plant this fall. This could be just what you’re looking for.

Top left: The foliage is quite attractive, with a long, slender, spotted petiole that emerges from the ground, and an umbrella-like leaf  that  unfolds  at  the

top. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY 4.0 Top right: Flower, close up. The central, phallic-like stalk is called a spadix. Photo: J. Celinski Bottom left: The stem has an intricate snakelike pattern. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Bottom right: Berries from the pollinated flowers ripen from bright pink to blue. Photo: C. DeWitt, CC BY 4.0

Amorphophallus kiusianis, known as Voodoo Lily, is sort of like a miniature version of the corpse flower, growing 2-4 tall and 1-3 feet wide.  It produces a similar vase-shaped inflorescence called a spath, with a central phallic-like stalk called a spadix. The flowers are purplish-brown, with some white in pink buried inside, and while they are not as powerful as the larger Amorphophallus, the Voodoo Lily shares the same type of unpleasant odor. However, the blooms only last about a day. The foliage is actually quite attractive, with a long, slender petiole that emerges from the ground, spotted in a snakeskin-like pattern, with an umbrella-like leaf that unfolds at the top. If you’ve got a shady area and are bored with hosta, ferns, and Solomon’s seal (all great plants, don’t get me wrong), Voodoo Lily is something different that you can mix in to keep things interesting.

Voodoo Lily grows from a corm, an underground bulb-like growth structure. They are hardy and can be kept outdoors overwinter under the right conditions, but the corms can also be dug up and stored indoors and replanted the following spring.

Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.