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Araceae
Dragon Arum
Dracunculus vulgaris
Strange power.
- Family
- Araceae
- Genus
- Dracunculus
- Native to
- Balkans, Greece, Crete, Aegean Islands
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- tuberous perennial
- Height
- 2-4 ft
- Sunlight
- part shade
- Soil
- well-drained, humus-rich
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 7-10
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- The huge purple-black spathe can be over 2 feet long, with a black tongue-like spadix in the center.
- On the day it opens, it emits a powerful odor of rotting meat to attract its carrion fly pollinators.
- The smell only lasts about 24 hours, after which the flower is essentially odorless.
- Heat generated chemically by the spadix can make it 15-20°F warmer than the surrounding air, helping vaporize the stink.
- The mottled snake-like stems and dragon-tongue spadix made it a magical herb in medieval European folklore.
Color meanings
0
mystery
1
intensity