Favourite Plants: Aroids
If I had to pick a family of plants as my favourite, it would have to be Araceae - the Aroids. The family contains one of the smallest flowering plants - duckweeds, and one of the biggest flowers in the world - the Titan Arum ‘Amorphophallus titanum’.
Technically this flower is a tall spire of small flowers clustered together around the spadix to form the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, reaching up to 3m in height. (The actual biggest flower record is held by Rafflesia arnoldii a parasitic plant of jungle vines).
The Titan Arum should definitely win an award for being the smelliest plant. Known colloquially as the Corpse Flower, the giant 8 - 10ft tall spire pumps out a putrid smell similar to rotting meat into the dense Indonesian jungle attracting tiny carrion beetles which in turn pollinate it.
The Titan might be even more famous for its evil smell than its large size, it is not a plant for the everyday gardener unless you have access to a large tropical house... don’t let this put you off though - if you like the idea of Aroids you’ll be able to find one that suits you.
I grow the Titan’s smaller sisters in pots in a sheltered spot outside in summer - you could try the miniature Amorphophallus ongsakulii only growing to about 3 inches tall - a great windowsill plant for the collector. Or try the impressively architectural A.konjac or A.paeoniifolius for their large leaf and mottled stems.
While I could happily talk all day about Amorphophallus, it’s worth mentioning some of the Corpse Flower’s more garden worthy cousins. Arisaema have gained popularity with many woodland gardeners, and it’s easy to see why, with their unusual flowers and fantastic varied leaves. The fact that they are hardy and relatively easy to grow has certainly helped their increasing popularity.
I grow many other tuberous aroids - Arum, Biarum - with their fascinating short lived and foul smelling flowers, Taccaum, Spathantheum, Gorgonidium - grown for their elegant divided leave,) and the tiny Arisarum proboscideum, the mouse plant. It has flowers hidden under its leaves and looks like the back end of a mouse disappearing down a hole!
Recently I’ve grown the gorgeous Colocasia ‘Dark Stem’ with its feet in the pond, it’s grown particularly huge this year and has been a real talking point in the garden.
I’ve barely scratched the surface of this amazing group of plants, I hope I’ve given you enough to get you interested. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can still enjoy the Araceae family through the numerous indoor and house plants that perhaps don’t immediately spring to mind as aroids - the peace lily, devil’s ivy and of course the 1970s favourite, the cheese plant - Monsteria deliciosa.
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Jack Ogg is senior gardener at York Gate Garden in Leeds, Yorkshire, UK - an exquisite one acre garden cared for by the charity Perennial.
Prior to his appointment at York Gate, Jack worked at Harewood House, Yorkshire, UK.
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