Dracontium polyphyllum
The size of the plant and of its bag can vary a little from the photograph — each one grows at its own pace. We keep them as consistent as we can.
Overview
Hombrón is an otherworldly aroid: from an underground tuber rises a single giant leaf, finely divided like an umbrella, on a tall stalk mottled like snakeskin. Once a year it sends up a dark inflorescence that smells of rotting meat to attract the flies that pollinate it. It belongs to a genus found only in the Americas, related to Asia's Amorphophallus. A collector's plant that never goes unnoticed.
Culture
- Habit
- Perennial
- Height
- 0.75 m
- Pollinators
- Flies
- Cultivation Status
- Cultivated, Wild
This species is native to northern South America, from Venezuela and the Guianas to Peru and northern Brazil, and also to Puerto Rico. It wants partial shade and loose, moist soil rich in organic matter, with good drainage so the tuber doesn't rot. Like other tuberous aroids, it may lose its leaf and rest for a while before resprouting. Planting distance: 1–1.5 m.
Edible Uses
Don't eat it: like other aroids, it contains calcium oxalate crystals that strongly irritate the mouth.
Medicinal
In the Amazon, species of this genus are traditionally used against snakebite, perhaps because the stalk resembles snakeskin. There's no evidence that it works: for a snakebite, get medical help immediately.
Traditional uses for information only. Not a substitute for advice from a health professional.
Agroforestry
A low-stratum species with a secondary life cycle for the shady understory. It takes up little space, and its giant leaf adds structure and an exotic touch beneath the trees.