- Family: Araceae Juss.
- Genus: Sauromatum Schott
Sauromatum venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Kunth
- Genus: Sauromatum Schott
Native to upland areas of Africa and Asia, voodoo lily has flowers that emit a foul smell resembling rotting meat. This odour attracts insect pollinators such as flies. Despite its putrid smell, voodoo lily is popularly cultivated as an ornamental. Its popularity is due in part to it being one of the easiest aroids to propagate and one of the hardest to kill.
Descriptions
According to CATE Araceae
[CATE]CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011. araceae.e-monocot.org
- General Description
-
Tuber depressed globose, to ca. 9cm high and ca. 15cm in diam., producing numerous annual offsets, these globose or depressed globose. Petiole yellowish green, with rounded purplish brown spots, 20–100cm; leaf blade 9–11-pedatifid; central lobe oblong or oblong-elliptic to oblanceolate, 10–40 × 4–20cm, acuminate; lateral leaflets elliptic, gradually smaller toward distal end of rachis. Inflorescence appearing before leaves; peduncle greenish white, with or without a few brown spots, 3–7cm, sometimes elongating during fruiting. Spathe base outside dull dark violet, inside rich reddish purple, ellipsoid, 5–10 × 2–4cm; limb convolute at base, ca. 10cm, distally outside as base but slightly darker and with a few violet longitudinal stripes, inside background color yellowish, almost entirely covered by numerous orbicular to elliptic, confluent dark purple spots, lanceolate, 30–70 × 8–10cm, apex acuminate. Spadix slightly shorter than or as long as spathe; female zone subcylindric, 2–2.5 × 1–1.5cm; ovary violet or pale purple, obovoid, 2–4-ovuled; sterile zone 8–8.5cm, proximal 2–2.5cm sparsely covered with long staminodes, distally grooved and with a few distant conic projections, proximally whitish, distally pale brownish violet; staminodes yellow, clavate, 4–10mm; male zone 1–2 × 1–1.5cm; stamens yellow; appendix at first erect, finally recurved, pale brown to pale violet or lead-colored, terete, to30 cm, ca. 1cm in diam. at base, obtuse. Fruiting zone globose or subcylindric, naked, to ca. 9cm in diam.; berries crowded, bright purple, cylindric, 5–10 × 2–4mm, angulate, apex truncate.
- Phenology
- Fl. Apr–May, fr. Jul.
- Habitat
- Primary evergreen forests, meadows by rivers, secondary thickets, path sides.
- Vernacular
- ban long yu
- Distribution
- China [Xizang, Yunnan], Bhutan, NE and NW India, Myanmar, Nepal, Africa.
According to Flora of Tropical East Africa
[FTEA]Araceae, S.J. Mayo. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1985
- Habit
- Tuber depressed-globose, 4–10 cm. in diameter.
- Leaves
- Petiole terete, up to 90 cm. long, green, often black-purple spotted or tinged brownish purple; blade kidney-shaped to subcircular in outline, 25–60 cm. broad, pedately-lobed; lobes 7–11, ovate-elliptic, acuminate, cuneate, deeply divided almost to base; central lobe usually obovate-elliptic, 12–30 cm. long, 5–16 cm. broad; lateral lobes progressively smaller.
- Inflorescences
- Inflorescence appearing before leaves, with very strong carrion smell at anthesis, subtended by several oblong-lanceolate cataphylls; peduncle short, 2–8 cm. when in flower, subterranean, spathe borne at or partly below ground-level.
- Spathe
- Spathe 25–50 cm. long; tube subcylindric with inflated ellipsoid basal part, 5–10 cm. long, 2–5 cm. in diameter, erect, outside dull purplish green, inside reddish purple, smooth; limb narrowly lanceolate-triangular, 20–40 cm. long, 3–9 cm. broad, reflexing and twisting spirally at maturity, inner surface pale yellow to pale green with numerous dark maroon-purple oblong to subcircular spots that are smaller towards base and merge near crisped-undulate margins.
- Spadix
- Spadix 20–42 cm. long; sterile appendix cylindric, 14–30 cm. long, 0.5–1.6 cm. in diameter, erect at first, later curving forward, smooth, dull greyish green with cream base; staminate part cylindric, 1–1.7 cm. long, 0.5–1.5 cm. in diameter, sulphur yellow; sterile zone with cylindric, longitudinally ridged axis, 3.5–8 cm. long, 0.3–1.2 cm. in diameter, cream becoming purple apically, lowermost 1.5–2 cm. bearing 0.5–0.8 cm. long, horizontal to upward-curving, filiform to clavate, cream, sterile projections, with bluish-green, ± swollen tips; pistillate part cylindric to subconic, 0.7–1.6 cm. long, 0.6–1.4 cm. in diameter.
- Ovary
- Ovary flask-shaped to cylindric, dark reddish-purple; ovules 1–2, pear-shaped, borne on massive basal placental cushion; stigma capitate, cream, 0.5 mm. in diameter.
- Fruits
- Berries obovate, 0.9–1 cm. long, ± 0.8 cm. in diameter, 1–2-seeded, mulberry purple to red, borne at or partly below ground-level in tight subglobose head up to 4 cm. in diameter.
- Seeds
- Seed obovate, 0.7–0.8 cm. long, 0.45–0.55 cm. in diameter; testa fleshy, dark spotted; embryo small, central, cylindric; endosperm copious.
- Figures
- Fig. 15.
- Habitat
- In shade, damp woodlands, riverine forest, plantations and copses in upland grassland, damp upland cultivated land; 1000–2100 m.
- Distribution
- K3 K5 T1 T2 T4 T7 T8 U1
According to Kew Species Profiles
[KSP]Kew Species Profiles
- General Description
-
Native to upland areas of Africa and Asia, voodoo lily has flowers that emit a foul smell resembling rotting meat. This odour attracts insect pollinators such as flies. Despite its putrid smell, voodoo lily is popularly cultivated as an ornamental. Its popularity is due in part to it being one of the easiest aroids to propagate and one of the hardest to kill.
- Species Profile
-
Geography and distribution
Widely distributed from tropical Africa to China, voodoo lily is reported to occur in various habitats including evergreen forest, riverine forest and wet savannah, mostly in damp or wet areas in the shade.
DescriptionOverview: A tuberous perennial with a large, umbrella-like leaf on a brownish-red speckled petiole (leaf stalk) that appears after flowering.
Flowers: The flowering parts consist of a spathe (hood-like structure) wrapped around a spadix (flower-bearing spike). The large, twisting spathe (up to 1 m long) is yellow to brown with reddish-purple spots. The purple spadix is slightly shorter or the same size as the spathe.
Fruits: Red to bright purple berries.
Conservation assessments carried out at KewSauromatum venosum is being monitored as part of the IUCN Sampled Red List Index for Plants, which aims to produce conservation assessments for a representative sample of the world's plant species. This information will then be used to monitor trends in extinction risk and help focus conservation efforts where they are needed most.
UsesVoodoo lily is cultivated as an ornamental. The tubers can be grown indoors as a curiosity; they can flower without soil or water, although the tuber should be planted and fed immediately after flowering if it is to be kept alive.
The roasted tubers of Sauromatum venosum are eaten locally.
This species at KewSauromatum venosum is grown behind-the-scenes in Kew's Tropical Nursery.
Dried and alcohol-preserved specimens of Sauromatum venosum are held in Kew's Herbarium, where they are available to researchers by appointment. The details of some of these can be seen online in Kew's Herbarium Catalogue.
- Distribution
- China
- Ecology
- Primary evergreen forests, meadows by rivers, secondary thickets and along the sides of paths.
- Conservation
- Least Concern (LC) according to IUCN Red List criteria.
- Hazards
-
Intense irritation can be experienced when handling or consuming raw plant material of many members of Araceae (aroid plant family).
According to Flora of West Tropical Africa
[FWTA]Araceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968
- Habit
- A geophyte with a, perennial tuber from which arises the short peduncle and purple-spotted spathe and later the single taller petiole with divided lamina 1-2 ft. across
- Fruits
- Fruits bright red
- Ecology
- In shady places in upland.
Uses
Images
Distribution
Native to:
Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Central African Repu, China South-Central, East Himalaya, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gulf of Guinea Is., India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tanzania, Tibet, Uganda, West Himalaya, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre
Synonyms
- Alocasia pedata (Link & Otto) Raf.
- Arisaema venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Blume
- Arum clavatum Desf.
- Arum fugax Salisb.
- Arum guttatum Wall.
- Arum pedatum Link & Otto
- Arum pedatum Fisch. ex Spreng.
- Arum sessiliflorum Roxb.
- Arum simlense Engl.
- Arum venosum Dryand. ex Aiton
- Desmesia venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Raf.
- Jaimenostia fernandopoana Guinea & Gómez Mor.
- Sauromatum abyssinicum Schott
- Sauromatum angolense N.E.Br.
- Sauromatum guttatum Schott
- Sauromatum guttatum var. pedatum (Link & Otto) Engl.
- Sauromatum guttatum var. pulchrum (Miq.) Engl.
- Sauromatum guttatum var. punctatum (K.Koch) Engl.
- Sauromatum guttatum var. sessiliflorum (Roxb.) Engl.
- Sauromatum guttatum var. simlense (Schott) Engl.
- Sauromatum guttatum var. venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Engl.
- Sauromatum nervosum Mottet
- Sauromatum nubicum Schott
- Sauromatum pedatum (Link & Otto) Schott
- Sauromatum pulchrum Miq.
- Sauromatum punctatum K.Koch
- Sauromatum sessiliflorum (Roxb.) Kunth
- Sauromatum simlense Schott
- Typhonium venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Hett. & P.C.Boyce
Common Names
- English
- Voodoo lily
Other Data
Sauromatum venosum (Dryand. ex Aiton) Kunth appears in other Kew resources:
Herbarium Catalogue (85 records)
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jan 1, 1975 | Sanford, W.W. [6245], Cameroon | K000390810 | ||
Jan 1, 1975 | Bauer, P.J. [166], Cameroon | K000390811 | ||
Ward, F.K. [8181], India | K000390868 | |||
Polhill, R. [1485], Tanzania | K000390828 | |||
Polhill, R. [1485], Tanzania | K000390829 | |||
Polhill, R. [1750], Tanzania | K000390833 | |||
Polhill, R. [1750], Tanzania | K000390834 | |||
Fanshawe, D.B. [3003], Zambia | K000390849 | |||
Fanshawe, D.B. [3003], Zambia | K000390850 | |||
Chandler, P. [2784], Uganda | K000390818 | |||
Watermeyer [158], Tanzania | K000390830 | |||
Tanner, R.E.S. [692], Tanzania | K000390825 | |||
Angus, A. [441], Zambia | K000390851 | |||
Stolz, A. [38], Tanzania | K000390835 | |||
Stolz, A. [38], Tanzania | K000390836 | |||
Brummitt, R.K. [15157], Malawi | K000390844 | |||
Burger, W. [2992], Ethiopia | K000390814 | |||
Schweinfurth, G. [1570], Eritrea | K000390812 | |||
Schweinfurth, G. [1570], Eritrea | K000390813 | |||
Schweinfurth, G. [489], Eritrea | K000390817 | |||
Strachey, R. [10], India | K000390880 | |||
Jarrett, F.M. [736], India | K000390869 | |||
Jarrett, F.M. [736], India | K000390870 | |||
Barnes, E. [39], India | K000390874 | |||
Barnes, E. [39], India | K000390875 | |||
Barnes, E. [39], India | K000390876 | |||
Barnes, E. [1553], India | K000390877 | |||
Barnes, E. [1552], India | K000390878 | |||
Barnes, E. [1617], India | K000390879 | |||
Meyer [7470], Ethiopia | K000390815 | |||
Tweedie [62], Kenya | K000390823 | |||
Tweedie [62], Kenya | K000390824 | |||
Tweedie [62], Kenya | K000390826 | |||
Richards, H.M. [8733], Tanzania | K000390827 | |||
Richards, H.M. [16439], Zambia | K000390848 | |||
Duthie, J.F. [s.n.], India | K000390881 | |||
Jack, C. [425], Kenya | K000390821 | |||
Mainwaring [12], Kenya | K000390820 | |||
Aitchison, J.E.T. [154], Pakistan | K000390895 | |||
Collett, H. [323], India | K000390857 | |||
Collett, H. [667], India | K000390858 | |||
Collett, H. [s.n.], India | K000390859 | |||
Rich, H.H. [469], India | K000390862 | |||
Rich, H.H. [469], India | K000390883 | |||
Rich, H.H. [469], India | K000390884 | |||
Rich, H.H. [469], India | K000390885 | |||
J.J. [s.n.], India | K000390889 | |||
Aitchison [15], India | K000390864 | |||
Aitchison [s.n.], India | K000390886 | |||
Aitchison [16], India | K000390888 | |||
Aitchison [268], India | K000390893 | |||
Aitchison [15], India | K000390894 | |||
Woodrow, G.M. [s.n.], India | K000390890 | |||
Pawek, J. [13393], Malawi | K000390845 | |||
Major, E.J. [580], Kenya | K000390819 | |||
Salubeni, A.J. [896], Malawi | K000390843 | |||
O'Brien, J. [s.n.], Malawi | K000390842 | |||
Gamble, J.S. [4661], India | K000390860 | |||
Gamble, J.S. [4661], India | K000390861 | |||
Gamble, J.S. [6242], India | K000390863 | |||
Gamble, J.S. [22854], Pakistan | K000390891 | |||
Deane, H. [178], Pakistan | K000390892 | |||
Patel, I.H. [480], Malawi | K000390846 | |||
Gilbert, E.F. [433], Ethiopia | K000390816 | |||
Renvoize, S.A. [2101], Tanzania | K000390832 | |||
s.coll. [4408], India | K000390853 | |||
s.coll. [4408], India | K000390854 | |||
s.coll. [4408], India | K000390855 | |||
s.coll. [4408], India | K000390856 | |||
s.coll. [s.n.], India | K000390872 | |||
Harwood [90], Tanzania | K000390831 | |||
Adeleysen, E. [172], Tanzania | K000390841 | |||
E.M.R. [1290], India | K000390871 | |||
D.H. [803], India | K000390873 | |||
Schafer, H. [376], India | K000390882 | |||
Typhonium venosum | 18898.000 | |||
India | Typhonium venosum | 29047.122 | ||
Milne-Redhead, E. [10446], Tanzania | Typhonium venosum | 18896.000 | ||
Tweedie, E.M., Kenya | Typhonium venosum | 7172.000 | ||
Polhill, R. [1750], Tanzania | Typhonium venosum | 41041.000 | ||
Tanner, R. [692], Tanzania | Typhonium venosum | 6923.000 | ||
Anderson [2773], Kenya | Typhonium venosum | 25723.000 | ||
Bauer, P.J. [166], Cameroon | Typhonium venosum | 34392.000 | ||
Kultan, D., India | Typhonium venosum | 6915.000 | ||
Thomson, J. [s.n.], Himachal Pradesh | Typhonium venosum | K000390867 | Unknown type material |
Bibliography
First published in Enum. Pl. 3: 28 (1841)
Accepted by
- Balkrishna, A. (2018). Flora of Morni Hills (Research & Possibilities): 1-581. Divya Yoga Mandir Trust.
- Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Haigh, A. & Boyce, P.C. (2012). Flora Zambesiaca 12(1): 1-54. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2010). Flora of China 23: 1-515. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
- Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.
Not accepted by
- Govaerts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. [Cited as Typhonium venosum.]
Literature
Kew Species Profiles
- World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (2010). Sauromatum venosum. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Thacker, H. (2009). Sauromatum venosum. Assessment using IUCN Categories and Criteria 3.1 (IUCN 2001). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Mabberley, D. J. (2008). Mabberley’s Plant-book: a Portable Dictionary of Plants, their Classification and Uses. 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- Huxley, A., Griffiths, M. & Levy, M. (eds) (1999). The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening, Volume 4 (R to Z). Macmillan Reference, London.
Flora of West Tropical Africa
- enum. Pl. 3: 28 (1841).
Kew Backbone Distributions
- Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Haigh, A. & Boyce, P.C. (2012). Flora Zambesiaca 12(1): 1-54. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.
Flora of Tropical East Africa
- A.D.Q. Agnew, Upland Kenya Wild Flowers p. 705, 706 (1974).
- Hepper in Flora of West Tropical Africa, ed. 2, 3: 116 (1968).
- Hepper in Kew Bulletin 21: 492 (1968)
- Kunth, Enum. Pl. 3: 28 (1841).
Sources
Art and Illustrations in Digifolia
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew
CATE Araceae
Haigh, A., Clark, B., Reynolds, L., Mayo, S.J., Croat, T.B., Lay, L., Boyce, P.C., Mora, M., Bogner, J., Sellaro, M., Wong, S.Y., Kostelac, C., Grayum, M.H., Keating, R.C., Ruckert, G., Naylor, M.F. and Hay, A., CATE Araceae, 17 Dec 2011.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Flora of West Tropical Africa
Flora of West Tropical Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Kew Species Profiles
Kew Species Profiles
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0