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Dragon Lily
Dracunculus vulgaris
Last week ( end of Nov ) I was asked to identify a very unusual plant in a garden Levin. Unusual because the solitary stem grows very quickly and from the tip emerges a large toothed flower bud.It opens into a spathe or flower like an Arum lily but one that opens right up. The colour is deep chocolate into purplish black. The flower exudes a stinky odour to attract blow flies to come and crawl over the flower to spread its pollen .Fortunately the flowers are short lived.
Dracunculus vulgaris or Dragon Lily is a member of the Arum flower.The tubers from which the stems arise sit just below the ground .By autumn the plant has gone dormant. It springs to life in late spring with attractively spotted stems .The leaves are deeply cut and look quite tropical. This is a quaint plant or oddity rather than a beautiful plant. Take care with citing it, keep it away from windows or doorways.
Grow in well drained soil in part shade. Plant out the tubers in winter when they are dormant .This plant is a slow increaser and does not set seed so would never become a nuisance plant in the garden but sure is a talking point.
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