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Dracunculus vulgaris
Also called Dragon Lily, Dragon Arum, Devil's Tongue, Voodoo Lily
Dracunculus vulgaris is a tuberous perennial from the Balkans and southwestern Anatolia, grown for its large purple spathe and dramatic dark flower that smells of rotting meat. The key to growing it is full sun, well-drained humus-rich soil, and a dry rest period.
Dracunculus vulgaris is a species of aroid flowering plant in the genus Dracunculus and the arum family Araceae. Common names include the common dracunculus, dragon lily, dragon arum, black arum and vampire lily. In Greece, part of its native range, the plant is called drakondia, the long spadix being viewed as a small dragon hiding in the spathe.
This herbaceous perennial is endemic to the Balkans, extending as far as Greece, Crete, and the Aegean Islands, and also to the south-western parts of Anatolia.
Dracunculus vulgaris has been introduced to northern Europe, Australia, and North America, both to the United States, where it is present in the states of Kansas, Oregon, California, Washington, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and to Canada, where it has been grown in the province of Ontario and Vancouver, B.C.
The plant can tolerate some shade but prefers full sun; it can also withstand drought but benefits from a little watering. The plant prefers a humus-rich, well-drained soil.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dracunculus vulgaris by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
