# Our corpse-flower blooms!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 28, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566 "2011-05-28T15:26:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/1 "2011-05-28T15:26:12Z")
Mrs. J. and I returned from a trip yesterday and were delighted to see our corpse-flower, a.k.a. devil’s tongue a.k.a. voodoo lily [in full flower](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/touton/P5281184.jpg). It’s the second time in the roughly six years I’ve grown this plant (botanical name = Amorphophallus konjac, one of the coolest names in the plant kingdom) that it’s flowered for us. The flowering spike is a little over three feet tall, with the lurid dark purple spadix (the elongated part) [arising from the spotted purple spathe](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/touton/P5281185.jpg). A minor disappointment is that the bloom is not as stinky as advertised, at least to my nose (it’s typically said to smell like rotting meat or fish). Still, it must have significant odor to pollinators, as I saw a fly on it yesterday. After the flowering season is over the plant then sends up a 3-4 foot stalk (also generously spotted) with compound leaves that last all season. A. konjac is hardy here and has survived temps to -10F or so. More info [here](http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Amorphophallus%20konjac%20pc.html). The better-known corpse flower is Amorphophallus titanum, which is a giant tropical version that draws crowds whenever it blooms. [Here’s one that recently flowered at Ohio State](http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatcar/5651232062). They named it Woody (for Woody Hayes?), a great honor I’m sure. A. titanum’s flowers are legendary stinkers. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/2 "2011-05-28T15:30:54Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > [Here’s one that recently flowered at Ohio State](http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatcar/5651232062). They named it Woody (for Woody Hayes?), a great honor I’m sure. A. titanum’s flowers are legendary stinkers. I’m thinkin’ there’s another, 3- or 4-foot-long reason they named it Woody. I mean, the genus is Amorphophallus after all. Corpse flowers are neat. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/3 "2011-05-28T17:41:47Z")
That is one cool, dirty-looking flower. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/4 "2011-05-28T19:35:46Z")
I should mention that A. konjac is used in Asian cooking, and that it contains substances (glucomannans) that in limited research have been found to impede absorption of dietary fats. We could be looking at a revolutionary weight-loss aid here. :dubious: The [Plant Delights](http://www.plantdelights.com/Amorphophallus/products/49/) nursery in North Carolina carries a great selection of Amorphophallus, including a Mozambique species which reportedly has “a purple dust-ruffled toilet seat-like spathe and purple spadix with a smell to match”. Too bad these other varieties are insufficiently cold-hardy to survive in my zone. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/5 "2011-05-28T19:48:24Z")
Very impressive. I have never heard of them or seen one before. Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/6 "2011-05-28T19:50:50Z")
Congratulations OP on yours blooming. Very awesome. Also, one of the most obscene plants ever. Nature is dirty. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/7 "2011-05-29T00:00:34Z")
My God that thing is ugly. Also awesome. Congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/8 "2011-05-29T01:52:45Z")
You did better than me. I was given on last year. It had weird foliage. Fall came and I couldn’t find the bulb as the leaves were all gone. It froze to death. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/9 "2011-05-29T02:01:15Z")
I’ve had them for three or four years. I hate you. 🙂 In what zone are you growing it outside? For how long is it dormant? Mine go dormant even inside. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/10 "2011-05-29T02:10:58Z")
I’m in the equivalent of zone 6 (central Ohio). A. konjac survival is probably helped by the fact that it’s growing up against a south-facing wall. I’ve never bothered to mulch it. It typically emerges sometime in mid-May. The foliage starts dying back in September or early October. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/11 "2011-05-29T02:11:10Z")
Fascinating!! That’s what konyaku comes from - the resistant, jelly like stuff that appears in a lot of Japanese cooking. It’s tasteless in itself but does add nice texture to meals and is said to “clean the blood” by my MIL. I have never seen the plant and had a mental image of something more potato like, so thanks for showing us what a COOL plant that is! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/12 "2011-05-29T02:55:02Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’m in the equivalent of zone 6 (central Ohio). Thanks! I’ll try some of the bulblets outside. [Dranculus vulgaris](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracunculus_vulgaris) comes back smaller every year, and has not made an appearance this year. It does smell like rotten meat. Really, really, badly. P.S. I still hate you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Old\_Eel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/977dab/32.png) [@Old\_Eel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Old_Eel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/13 "2011-05-29T03:39:42Z")
Celebrate with a bowl of durian! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/14 "2011-05-29T11:15:52Z")
> [@Old\_Eel](#): > > Celebrate with a bowl of durian! God, no! ---
**Author:** ![Jennmonkye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/278dde/32.png) [@Jennmonkye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennmonkye)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/15 "2011-05-29T16:47:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > A minor disappointment is that the bloom is not as stinky as advertised, at least to my nose (it’s typically said to smell like rotting meat or fish). Still, it must have significant odor to pollinators, as I saw a fly on it yesterday. After the flowering season is over the plant then sends up a 3-4 foot stalk (also generously spotted) with compound leaves that last all season. A. konjac is hardy here and has survived temps to -10F or so. More info [here](http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Amorphophallus%20konjac%20pc.html). > > The better-known corpse flower is Amorphophallus titanum, which is a giant tropical version that draws crowds whenever it blooms. [Here’s one that recently flowered at Ohio State](http://www.flickr.com/photos/thatcar/5651232062). They named it Woody (for Woody Hayes?), a great honor I’m sure. A. titanum’s flowers are legendary stinkers. We have had dozens of these bloom at work and always put them on display when they do. It seems like the smell is really awful when they get bumped or moved in any way…give yours a little shake and the stink will gross you out. On the other hand, my favorite treat is when the plant leafs out after blooming. The trunk and foliage are absolutely beautiful and one of the coolest plants I have ever seen–I think it looks like giraffe skin. We just purchased the A. titanum, and I can’t wait for it to bloom, but I am told it takes several years to mature. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/16 "2011-05-29T17:17:11Z")
We have had several varieties of Amorphophallus growing in our gardens for the past few years, and we had two that would consistently bloom: one smelled like dog turds, and the other smelled like propane. **Acid Lamp** can tell you all about which ones we had, as I have forgotten. We now have a rogue Amorphophallus growing in the lawn, as we had accidentally misplaced a corm upon moving to the place where we now live. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/17 "2011-05-30T03:34:53Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > Congratulations OP on yours blooming. Very awesome. > > Also, one of the most obscene plants ever. Nature is dirty. 😉 [Meet the coco de mer, queen of obscene](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1003&bih=616&q=coco%20de%20mer&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi). Interesting- the third site listed when you Google “coco de mer” is a sex shop. Can’t imagine why. ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/18 "2011-05-30T04:15:43Z")
I thought you were talking about the [Rafflesia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia), for some reason. What is up with smelling like rotting meat! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/19 "2011-05-30T04:55:19Z")
That is one cool looking plant! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566/20 "2011-05-30T05:22:55Z")
I had some in Sacramento that came up every year and bloomed. When I moved I dug a couple up and brought them with me, in pots. They grow & bloom in pots, too if you can’t leave them in the ground where you live. Just make sure a well-meaning but stupid friend of relative doesn’t throw it out when it’s dormant, thinking there was nothing in the pot. I was pissed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/our-corpse-flower-blooms/583566.md?page=2)