Amorphophallus napalensis

Description

Amorphophallus napalensis is another exciting Aroid from the Eastern Himalayas growing in dappled shade on the forest floor. This amorphophallus produces a striking umbrella like leaf on a sturdy purply splashed stem up to a metre high. In spring the flower spike, correctly known as a ‘spadix’ emerges before the leaves and is a creamy pink colour, quite striking as a curiosity but not something you’d want to get too close to as it’s ‘perfume’ is decidedly iffy or maybe that should be wiffy.

I guess if you love exotic plants like we do this Amorphophallus is an exciting addition to own being both jungly and wacky at the same time. Provided it is given a warm shelted shady position outdoors in humus rich compost along with the occasional feed, liquid seaweed works well, from late spring until autumn when the leaves die down and it returns to it’s underground corm to while away the dark days of winter. Definitely not hardy some please bring inside into a frost free location for its winter slumber.