Dracunculus vulgaris
Common name
Stink lily (dragon arum, black arum, snake lily)
Family
Araceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Monocots
Conservation status
Not applicable
Brief description
Bulbous deciduous herb with erect palmate leaves. Large red-purple aroid inflorescence
Detailed description
Bulbous deciduous herb with erect palmate leaves borne on petioles and sheaths spotted and streaked in red, green, black; lamina green with white-ish spots. Inflorescence on 0.5 m stalk (scape), to 0.5 m tall; spathe dark red-purple with frilled margins, partly enclosing the red-purple spadix that extends beyond the spathe.
Similar taxa
Amorphophallus titanum
Flowering
Late spring; monoecious - abundant male flowers above the many female flowers near base of spadix; flies strongly attracted by the rotting flesh smell emitted from the mature inflorescence.
Flower colours
Red/Pink, Violet/Purple
Year naturalised
1965
Origin
South-eastern Mediterranean Europe (Greece, Greek islands including Crete; Turkey)
Reason for introduction
Ornamental