Wednesday, June 10, 2015

That's a Stinkin' Beauty!

As I was getting water from the faucet out in the garden two days ago I smelled something putrid.  Hmmm.  Is there a dead animal in the bushes? 

 Oh, no, that's right.  It's the Voodoo Lily.  It's bloomed!
Voodoo Lily, or Dracunculus vulgaris, is also known as Dragon Arum.  It's blooms are huge and purple and beautiful, but they smell like rotting meat. 
There were four buds on the plant last week, so we suspected they would bloom soon. 

 Their "fragrance" attracts flies, which pollinate them.  The flies were buzzing and the smell was ripe in the hot afternoon sun.

 This morning when I checked, the first two blooms were already beginning to collapse, but a third bloom had opened. 


 I don't think I'll make a bouquet out of them. 
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15 comments:

  1. ronandrosi.blogspot.comJune 10, 2015 at 5:29 PM

    I've had bulbs for this lily for 35 years. They come up and produce beautiful leaves, but they have never bloomed for me. Mine have all died back already. Do you think they need more water or fertilizer or something?? Yours are gorgeous!

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  2. RedJune 10, 2015 at 5:58 PM

    You do well to photograph these plants let alone make a bouquet for the house.

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  3. Henny PennyJune 10, 2015 at 6:33 PM

    It is beautiful! Looks like a silk flower. Wonder how something that pretty could smell so bad.

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  4. KayJune 10, 2015 at 7:28 PM

    Hawaii has something like that, but on a much larger scale. It's called a corpse flower and was on the news a while ago. Your flower is pretty in an exotic way. It has a very rich color and interesting shape.

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  5. AlisonJune 10, 2015 at 7:46 PM

    I need one of these. What a striking flower! I don't even care that it stinks.

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  6. Far Side of FiftyJune 10, 2015 at 7:56 PM

    What a unusual flower, very interesting:)

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  7. mamasmercantileJune 11, 2015 at 4:39 AM

    They look amazing, I have never come across one before.

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  8. TaborJune 11, 2015 at 5:27 AM

    I will wait to see these in a botanical garden. I have enough deer repellent that I do not need more smelly stuff.

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  9. DJanJune 11, 2015 at 5:42 AM

    Ewww! It must be pretty pungent, but I know there are several different flowers that attract insects through this smell. Makes me wonder how the flower developed that ability. :-)

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  10. CeliaJune 11, 2015 at 8:49 AM

    Gorgeous color. Had them in our garden in Seattle. The previous owner had planted them next to the grape arbor. Odd choice but then they blooms don't last long.

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  11. OlgaJune 11, 2015 at 10:53 AM

    How exotic. I think I will stick to the night blooming jasmine outside my bedroom window though.

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  12. outlawgardenerJune 11, 2015 at 11:12 AM

    No bouquet? It would be so lovely on the dining room table! We inherited these with our garden and now they're growing everywhere. Fortunately the smell doesn't last very long!

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  13. JeanJune 11, 2015 at 11:26 AM

    What rascals the Voodoo Lilies are! Yuck.

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  14. Small City ScenesJune 11, 2015 at 8:23 PM

    How exciting. I would love to see them. Is this the first time they have been in bloom. Do they die back after blooming. I just find it exciting.
    MB

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  15. Rambling WoodsJune 12, 2015 at 7:14 PM

    I can't leave comments with the verification photos. It takes multiple times and then boots me out. Damn google

    ReplyDelete

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