General Informations
Pink Voodoo Lily
Amorphophallus bulbifer, the Voodoo Lily, is a fantastic perennial tropical Aroid native to India and the Himalayas. This plant is one of the prettiest among its kind and the inflorescence has a less strong smell than the other amorphophallus. It can grow up to 4 feet tall. This plant produces a single inflorescence followed by a solitary leaf. In spring a mature tuber will first produce the unusual pink and white flower with green lines. If the plant is mature enough, you will see the flower, otherwise a leaf will sprout. The flower lasts only about 5 days. The bad smell that accompanies the flower only lasts for a couple of hours. The flowers are monoecious, individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant. It will take a few years to reach flowering size but the plant can grow bulbils (which give the name to the plant) that will fall down and grow a new plant. In winter, the plant is reduced to its tuber. Hardiness zone 10, (1°C/35°F) in winter. Amorphophallus will go dormant in the winter. When dormant, don’t give it too much water, let the soil dry out. Keep it dry for a couple of weeks and then water it again. Don’t fertilize. Repeat this process until the tuber wakes up in the spring. At that time you can start watering regularly and fertilizing the plant. They should start going dormant again in the fall. The tuber can be dug up by late winter if necessary. Amorphophallus bulbifer is quite hardy in tropical areas when planted in rich, well-drained soil in a sheltered, humid position. In temperate areas the plant can be grown successfully as a container specimen. Ample water is required during the growing season but the amount can be reduced dramatically during dormancy. The plant prefers sandy and loamy moist soils. It can grow in semi-shade or no shade.
