I grew this plant for years, digging the corns yearly, and not realizing that it would thrive in the garden as a hardy perennial. Once I let it go in the garden, I eventually had another surprise.It not only survives from year to year and blooms yearly, but it also sets fruit. The fruit clusters are up now: they remind me of pomegranates, but there is also a fungal quality in the way they pop up fully formed. Something tells me that they probably don't taste like pomegranates.
The inflorescence of this plant is so unbearably malodorous that you might wonder why anyone would grow it. But the inflorescence is so striking when it is fresh: the raw beef and mustard colors of the interior of the spathe are surprisingly vivid and have a velvety quality. And the sprightly upward and outward arc of the spadix is very eye-catching, especially when they are seen in a group.But that odor....
1 comment:
have you tried planting the fruits? Mine are red, which suggests to me they might be bird distributed. I wonder if the fleshy covering must be removed in order for the seeds to germinate. I would love a response by email if you're willing.
mcdougalk@lr.edu
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