march 23: The first blossom opened on Saturday, March 7, followed by the second on Monday, March 16, and the third on Wednesday, March 18. Gardener Chris Sprindis describes the aroma as, “distinctly dead mammal, with an undertone of musty basement.”
Amorphophallus konjac (devil’s-tongue), also known as voodoo-lily, is poised to put on a stinky show at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The plant is a cousin of corpse flowers A. titanum (titan arum) and A. gigas—and you’ll be able to see (and smell) the familial resemblance. Though A. konjac won’t reach the size or intensity of aroma of those corpse flowers, it does produce a tall, foul-scented inflorescence (flower head) that is devilishly attractive.
BBG is now exhibiting three devil’s-tongue plants at varying stages of flowering. The plants, acquired by the Garden after last year’s A. gigas bloom, were named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore by BBG propagation gardener Patrick Austin. One is expected to unfurl its inflorescence in the coming days and the other two will open in the coming weeks. The odorous blooms last only a few days; afterward, an enormous, palm-like leaf will start to emerge on each plant.
Native to subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, A. konjac is cultivated for food—its underground tuber is high in starch and fiber and is processed into konjac flour used to make shirataki noodles.
Please remember that you may not touch the plants.
