RE: Rotten Meat Scented Flowers

When I was living in Athens back in the 80s, I used to go up to Philopappou Hill in the afternoon to practice (music) as it is against the law to make noise during that time (siesta). I was up there during mid august, and a smell hit my nose...I thought I had accidently happened on some place people had been using as a latrine. Not really wanting to investigate further...I moved crosswind to get away from it. Pretty soon I got more wafts of it. Moved again, got more...then looked down and saw a fairly small aroid blooming all around. No leaves, just a brown spathe, half underground, with a dark brown spadix about 6 inches long projecting up releasing this aroma. The plant turned out to be Biarum tenuifolium. Being rather a fan of such oddities, I've wanted to grow it ever since. :) I will have to get one next time I'm back in Athens. That should make my landlord happy...

bob




Bob Beer sazci@hotmail.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alice laughed. 'There's not use trying,' she said: `one can't believe impossible things.'
'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. `When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast...'
- Lewis Carroll




From: "Gayle Kalman" <leahdragonfly@earthlink.net>
Reply-To: leahdragonfly@earthlink.net
To: "Medit Plant" <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Subject: Rotten Meat Scented Flowers
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2005 22:25:25 -0700


Dear All,

I purchased a bulb a few years back at Berkeley Horticultural Nursery. I neglected to properly file the name and have since been at a loss to identify this plant. This year it produced what looked like a big purple Callas lily that stunk of rotting meat. It was so strong that it only lasted a day before I felt compelled to cut it down. It stunk up the whole neighborhood. All google searches that I have conducted have turned up plants that are not the same as this one. I remember the name beginning with something like Draco-. Any help would be appreciated. I have a photo if any are interested.

Regards, Tim Kalman












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