The Voodoo Lily

This is one of the best small plants in my garden, made beautiful by its snake-skin stem. Its latin name is Sauromatum Venosum and it is not to be confused with the other voodoo lily, which is known as Pseudophallus, which translates as Misshapen Penis. The other voodoo lily is a carniverous plant which attracts insects by emitting a horrible smell, which is supposed to be resemble rotting flesh, whereas ours has no obnoxious habits and just sits there looking lovely. It does however have one strange characteristic in that, in the spring, a snake-skin stem will grow but before it produces any leaves will wither away. It will then re-grow fully in July.
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I bought one plant several years ago which has now spread to become a little family. It reproduces from little bulbs which appear at the base of the plant. ​

This year we have been surprised to see several new voodoo lily plants growing in a bed behind the potting shed, about 50 yards away. Its a mystery how they got there, but my best bet is that a squirrel has taken the bulbs from the mother plant and buried them there-a trick they have played with daffodil bulbs.