When a Green Thumb Isn’t a Good Thing

This is a titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum, popularly known as Devil’s Tongue. It very rarely blooms even in the wild, which is a good thing unless you’re a Botanic Garden. Then it’s a good thing only because thousands of people will line up and pay money to see this thing in flower. Why? Well, it is very pretty and yes, it is extremely rare for one in captivity to come into bloom. But for most people the real fascination comes from the way this lily smells. You see, its other common name is corpse plant. That’s right: for sixteen hours it smells like a dead body.

Why did I buy this plant? Because its leaves are lovely and it NEVER blooms, right?

Wrong.