Sauromatum venosum ‘Indian Giant’

Description

Sauromatum venosum ‘Indian Giant’ better known as the ‘Giant Voodoo lily’ is a spectacular aroid from Himalayan India producing strong patterned leaf stems, petioles, emerging from the ground supporting large dissect palmate leaves up to 60cm or more across. Exotic enough you might think, but no its the outrageous flower spike or caudix as they are correctly known that demands attention, deep purple and black up to 45m high they are otherworldly plus just in case you don’t notice their arrival the ‘perfume’ will certainly grab you attention, not quiet sure how to put this but boy it’s an evil aroma if ever there was one. Designed to attract flies and carrion beetles it’s one of natures wonders able to generate heat too whilst trapping the hapless pollinators long enough to collect enough pollen ready to move on to the next flower furthing the reproductive cycle.

For us lovers of all things jungly and exotic the ‘Giant Voodoo Lily’ is surprisingly hardy surviving outdoors in milder gardens where it goes about it’s business slowing forming loose clumps, the underground corms growing quiet large infact oftem 30cm or more in diameter. Best situated in fertile humus rich soil planted in dappled shade. I like to give them a generous mulch of good compost each autumn just to keep the underground corm snug and away from the worst of winter. A very special and usually in short supply plant, just thing carefully where you plant it come flowering time!