Voodoo lily (Typhonium giganteum) profile

Voodoo lily (Typhonium giganteum) is a plant of the genus Ploughapex of Araceae, which is endemic to China. Voodoo lily tuber is for medicinal use, can dispel wind phlegm, by cold and dampness, spasmolysis, headache, mouth and eye askew, hemiplegia, tetanus, fall and strain, limb numbness, stroke silent, lymphatic tuberculosis, snake insect bite. In traditional Chinese medicine, "white aconite" is processed from Voodoo lily. This product is poisonous and should be used with caution.

Voodoo lily picture

Morphological characteristics of Voodoo lily

Voodoo lily is a perennial herb, underground tubers ovoid, poisonous; Voodoo lily has 1-4 basal leaves, halberate arrow-shaped, entire; Summer flowering, fleshy spike inflorescences, with purple spathe.

Voodoo Lily plants are often tall, underground tubers like taro, oval to oval oval, dark brown scales outside. Leaf 1-7(related to age); Petiole is hypertrophic fleshy, the lower part is often pale pink or purple streaks, up to 40cm long; Leaf blade is triangular-ovate, halbiform arrow or ovate-broadly elliptic, 10 -- 40cm long and 7 -- 30cm wide, initially curved inward like an Angel, then spreading, apex acuminate. Pedicels are extruded from tubers, with this red patch between greens; Flame bud is purplish red, tube cylindrically or oblong-ovate, apex acuminate and curved, eaves ovate, up to 15cm long; Inflorescences of spikelets are located in a Buddha burr, about 14cm long; Female inflorescences and neuter inflorescences about 3cm each; Male inflorescences ca. are 2cm; Appendages cylindrical, erect, ca. 6cm long, purple, not extending beyond the sprites; Male flowers are golden yellow, stamens with 2 anthers, anther apical pore dehiscent; Neutral flowers are linear, pendulous, pale yellow;Female flowers brownish red. The berries are red when ripe. 

The tubers of Voodoo lily are obovate, ovoid or ovoid elliptic, varying in size, 2-4 cm in diameter, covered with dark brown small scales, with 7-8 annular nodes, and multiple fibrous roots around the neck. Usually one to two years old has only one leaf and three to four years old has three to four leaves. Leaves and inflorescences of Voodoo lily are drawn simultaneously. Petiole is cylindrical, ca. 60 cm long, densely purplish spotted, membranous leaf sheaths below middle; Leaf blade encoiled horn when young, then spreading, arrow-shaped, 15 -- 45 cm long, 9 -- 25 cm wide, apex acuminate, base arrow, posterior lobes branched into an acute Angle of 70 degrees; Dorsal elevation of middle rib, grade I lateral veins 7 -- 8 pairs, the lowermost two basals overlapping, gathering veins 5 -- 6 mm from margin. Pedicle of Voodoo lily is 15 cm long. Flame bracts are purple, tube cylindrical or oblong-ovate, about 6 cm long, 3 cm thick; Eaves are ovate, spreading, 15 cm long, apex acuminate often curved. Inflorescences a few sessile, 14 cm long, female inflorescences cylindrical, ca. 3 cm long, 1.5 cm thick; Neutral inflorescences are 3 cm long, ca. 5 mm thick; Male inflorescences of Voodoo lily are 2 cm long, 8 mm thick; Appendages are purple, 2-6 cm long, 5 mm thick, cylindrical, erect, base sessile, apex obtuse. Male flowers are sessile, locules ovoid, apical pore dehiscent. Female flowers: ovary cylindrical, apically truncated, ovule 2; Stigma is sessile, rounded.

The ecological habits of the Voodoo lily

Voodoo lily was born on wasteland, hillside, near ditches, usually in the elevation of 1500 m below. It is the most widely distributed species in the genus and the northernmost in China. Voodoo lily likes mild humid climate, can withstand cold and shade. Voodoo lily is drought-resistant, can be intercropped with forest and fruit crops, and sandy soil can be planted.

The distribution region of Voodoo lily

Voodoo lily is enemal to China, produced in Hebei, Shandong, Jilin, Liaoning, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan and southern Xizang. Liaoning, Jilin, Guangdong, Guangxi cultivation. It grows at an altitude of 500 m to 1,500 m, mostly in wet and shady areas of mountains, and has not been artificially introduced and cultivated.

How to grow a Voodoo lily 

A voodoo lily bulb is up to 10 inches (25.5 cm.) across, spherical and flattened. Choose bulbs that are at least the measurement of a softball to get plant life the first year. You will prefer to plant the voodoo lily bulb a desirable distance from your residence so that the smell doesn’t emerge as too annoying. Plant the bulb in a vicinity with full or partial coloration in spring after the soil has warmed to about 60 ranges Fahrenheit (15.5 C.). Cover them with 5 to 7 inches (13 to 18 cm.) of soil.

Voodoo lilies care

Voodoo lilies can be costly plants, and nurseries make the vegetation cheap by promoting small offsets or tubers. Gardeners may additionally have to wait from three to 5 years to see the first bloom show up on a plant. In the meantime, correct plant husbandry ought to be practiced all alongside to reap the delayed rewards.

Voodoo lilies like a desirable drink, and then a length of dryness. Too a great deal water can acquire in depressions that structure on the tuber, main to rot. A month-to-month fertilizer prosperous in phosphate encourages a wholesome root system.

When the flower fades, you can do away with it, however take care no longer to reduce the rising leaf. When the leaf fades, and the plant enters dormancy, withhold fertilizer and water sparingly. The corm can also relax for countless months earlier than boom resumes. At this time, proceed to water and fertilize as before. Voodoo lilies have various frost tolerance: comprehend your plant's developing zone, and supply it wintry weather safety indoors as needed.

With ideal care, voodoo lilies can be very long-lived plants. Tubers will additionally develop giant over time, requiring large pots. Dedicated gardeners who develop the massive corpse flower amorphophallus titanum may additionally quit up with a tuber that weighs over a hundred pounds. Repot your voodoo lily all through the dormant duration for the plant. Take care now not to nick or reduce the tuber, which should lead to fungus and rot and an unhappy ending to your years of nurturing.

Voodoo lily varieties

Choose voodoo lily by the Latin species name to ensure you’re getting a plant with the color and size qualities you seek.

A. henryi: The burgundy spathe is disproportionately large on a two-foot stem.

A. konjac: A shiny rich purple bloom makes a statement on a five-foot stem in May; plants are hardy to zone 6. Several weeks after flowering, a single leaf stalk will emerge on a funky speckled stem. 

A. ongsakulii: Three-inch plants demand scrutiny as a tabletop specimen.