Dracunculus vulgaris: Science Oxford’s own botany experiment!
Posted by Science Oxford on October 14, 2009 | comments
New update below *18-02-10* – Day 115 below
So, this article is not really science news, but an experiment I am conducting in the Science Oxford office.
This experiment began when a friend of mine sent me a bulb of the Dracunculus vulgaris, what is commonly known as the Dragon Arum or Voodoo Lily.
What is special about this plant is that its flower is supposed to smell like rotting meat, in order to attract flies to disperse its pollen. I am quite sceptical about how bad this smell might be, my friend assures me that it is bad, so I thought that I would grow it in the office to see if people notice any rancid odours!
I will be tracking its progress on this page so keep checking back to find out how the project is going!
If you would like to grow your own Dracunculus vulgaris you can buy them online here.
| Day 1: The bulb and the pot | Day 1: The bulb and the pot becoming one! |
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| Day 1: The potted bulb, ready for transport to the office! | Day 39: The bulb has finally sprouted! |
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| Day 115: The first leaf has emerged! | |
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05
Nov
This is fantastic – this has opened up a whole new world of werid plants for me, and they are easy to grow. Only problem is the neighbours might think someones cat has died!
16
Nov
They do really really stink. They are not so bad in the wild (on Crete) but when one of the stems was snapped off by the dogs tail and I put it in water in a vase and stupidly left it in the kitchen… ten minutes later the house nearly had to be evacuated. It was worse than when a rat died in the attic.
18
Feb
Voodoo Lily – I think I met a girl called that once. As I remember she smelt better than rotting meat.
27
Jun
My neighbour has one of these anti-social plants growing in her garden with no idea of how it arrived, any ideas please? We have several plants that have come to us via birds (or possibly the seed that we put out for them), could this be the route?
25
Apr
I have one of these plants in my garden, but I can’t say if it smells because mine has never flowered. For me, it is just a sentimental thing because it used to grow in my grandmothers garden 50 years ago. My father dug a piece of it and took it to his house, and I dug up a piece of that and brought it to mine.
Unfortunately, I believe that where I have put it is a little too dry and competition from other plants is rather fierce, and it likes damp organic rich soil with room to spread a bit.
Therefore I wonder if it will get established enough to flower in the pot you have.
07
Jun
I was attracted by the latin name, akin to a vulgar drunk!! I live in Plymouth and planted two bulbs together fifteen years ago. Any growth was soon enveloped in a bush and did nothing. Once I cleared the bush out six years ago it has developed into a splendid specimen. This year it has 5 flowers, the first opening on 4th June and the smell certainly will be attracting flies in a couple of days, It is a talking point for anyone who visits my garden, and a real smelling point too for a day or so