The genus Amorphophallus is rightly famous for the Titan Arum, Amorphophallus
titanum, the largest flowering structure in the plant kingdom, complete
with its obnoxious smell. The sheer size of the Titan Arum, both in flower and
leaf, means that it’s not really suited for long term culture for the average
home-grower, although it can be fun to try!

For those still wanting to cultivate Amorphophallus but on a more manageable
scale, there are a great many options to choose from. The genus contains well
over 200 species, with many more waiting in the wings to be described and
undoubtedly many more yet to be discovered in the wild. We are doing all we can
to propagate and offer UK produced Amorphophallus for sale. It’s a slow but
rewarding process. It’s also an important task – sadly there is a black market
trade in illegally and unsustainably collected seeds and tubers from the wild.
Hopefully by offering even a small source of UK propagated plants, we can help
reduce this illegal trade.

Amorphophallus tubers are available seasonally from our webshop.

Amorphophallus flowers are truly bizarre and it’s an exciting event when they
bloom. Here are a few that we’ve managed to grow on to flowering size over the
years.

Amorphophallus bolikhamxayensis

This species was discovered by the greatly missed plant-hunter Alan Galloway
who sadly died in 2020. It was found growing amongst rugged limestone boulders
in Bolikhamxay Province, Laos, in 2010 and formally named and described in
2012. Our original seed came direct from Alan and so this plant has a special
sentimental value.

The scent is ‘weird’ rather than unpleasant, being of a synthetic fruity
chemical nature. Almost like some sort of cheap bathroom cleaner!

Amorphophallus claudelii

Described as recently as 2015, this is a very dwarf species from moist
crevices in limestone rocks. Typically less than 20cm tall with a slender
inflorescence and proportionally very long spadix. It has no scent at all that
I can detect.

Amorphophallus konjac

This species should need little introduction as it the most frequently
cultivated species in the UK. It is happy growing in our coolish summers,
although it absolutely thrives in the warmer environment of the polytunnel and
greenhouses. Capable of making very stocky plants and substantial tubers, it
has a large and impressive flower with a strong scent of carrion.

Amorphophallus longituberosus

From Bangladesh, Malayasia and Thailand, Amorphophallus longituberosus
has a wide distribution and therefore an equally wide degree of variation in
shape, colour and form. As the Latin name suggests, it is capable of forming a
very long tuber, much like thick carrot. As the plant matures it is necessary
to grow it in a very deep pot. I have seen photos of plants growing in modified
drainpipe!

Our plants have strongly mottled petioles and dirty-cream coloured spathes with
various mottling and blotches. This is fairly typical of the species, but forms
with different colours are not uncommon.

Amorphophallus myosuroides

A tiny Amorphophallus species little more than 20cm tall. This is another
Alan Galloway discovery from Laos. A few different leaf colour forms exist,
with the best having strong variegated markings on the leaflets. The
inflorescence is around 3cm tall, pale cream in colour and appears to have no
scent at all.

Amorphophallus ongsakulii

One of my favourite Amorphophallus, especially amongst the various dwarf
species that we cultivate here. Again, it is a tiny species reaching no more
than 20cm tall and with an odourless flower. The most attractive feature are
the highly dissected leaflets which give an almost fern-like appearance.
Indeed, when it was first encountered in the wild it was initially mistaken as
a fern at first glance. Despite the diminutive size, Amorphophallus
ongsakulii can be extremely productive under ideal conditions, and can
make a huge number of offsets from the parent tuber.

Amorphophallus terrestris

This is a strange little plant, again described relatively recently in 2012
from Thailand, with little dirty brown flowers emerging from proportionally
large tubers. Each flower is around 4-5cm tall and somehow reminds me more of a
mushroom. It has no scent that I’ve been able to detect. I have not found it to
be the easiest of species to grow, but as a curiosity it is well worth
cultivating.