I was over at my friend’s house the other day, we were doing various tasks in the yard, and I noticed my favorite plant there was blooming!
It’s the house he grew up in, and he says it’s never bloomed before. The flower (such as it is) smells wonderful.
It’s some kind of aroid (Araceae). Your location and a photo of the leaves would be helpful.
I used to have several very nice peace lilies–I’d like them more if they smelled good, but alas. Very good for low light indoor conditions though, I’ll give them that, and quite showy.
Oh dear, there isn’t any foliage visible in that one, is there?
Northern California BTW.
Additionally: It resembles a palm, more than it does any lily family member I’m aware of. It is a large bush-sized plant that I think may technically be a tree. It has thick woody roots that emerge aboveground and affix themselves in what looks like a shoring-up kind of project.
The inflorescence is more a pod than a flower – the pod very much resembles the pod/husk/whatever that new leaves emerge from; it’s thick & spongy & green. Inside is this enormous, uh – is that a stamen? It’s like four or five inches long and as thick as my thumb.
The leaves are large (1 ti 2 feet) and each leaf has many “fingers.”
I’m fairly sure that’s a philodendron - Aracae family as noted above. Couldn’t say for sure what species, but if you google Philodendron flower, you get results that have very similar foliage, flowers and stems to your example.
What do you know! It is a philodendron!
Thought I knew what those looked like, but I guess not
Thanks, Mangetout.
I would guessPhilodendron Seloum
I have one that has never bloomed. I thought it was called “split leaf philodendron”.
We also have one that has never bloomed, although it is huge and healthy looking. Ours is in a pot in our sun-room and is 25 years old.
Mine spends Winter as a house plant, Summers outside in USDA Zone 7.
I wonder how they can be induced to bloom.
There is one in a protected corner of my yard that has never bloomed, but we’ve only been in this house for four years, so I don’t know how old it is, and they can take up to 15 years to mature. We had a hard freeze this past winter and I had to cut back most of the leaves. I hope that doesn’t reset the maturity clock!
Well, cannabis flowers when day (light) length decreases, nitrogen supplementation is cut back and phosphorous level increased. I’ve heard.
Thanks!
We have some monsters of those, I call them strangler plants:D (yes, split leaf philos) Their roots are just ornery, and very tough. We use them to hold the creek edge together, and deter folks and critters from climbing up. Huge leaves also will shade out and kill other smaller plants. And do NOT taste test the interesting looking fruit, very very acrid and burning:eek: (hey it looks like a banana, and smells good…ha NO banana!) Santa Barbara
That’s Philodendron selloum (two l’s), or AKA[Philodendron bipinnatifidum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philodendron_bipinnati fidum)
Worse things than just a bad taste can happen to you if you eat aroids…
…also, if you’re ever going in the bush and don’t have loo paper, do not use the invitingly large leaves of aroids to wipe. You will greatly regret it.
Funny, I was just in Santa Barbara for a few days and thought I saw some of the OP’s plant while walking around and hiking. Great city, by the way. Had a very nice visit and already want to go back.
