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Sauromatum venosum

Voodoo Lily · Monarch-of-the-East · Red-calla

Family AraceaeGenus Sauromatum

A tall, twisted spathe, dark purple with maroon blotches and curled back, on a dark stalk among dry leaves
FlowerDinesh ValkeCC BY-SA 4.0
A plate of a single hooded flower, its inner face olive-green freckled with red-brown, with a long gray spadix arching out of it.
IllustrationLouis van HouttePublic domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

Habit
tuberous geophytePlants of the World Online
Flower
Dark violet, reddish purpleFlora of China
Native range
Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Central African Republic, China South-Central and elsewhereGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Flora of China — Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven and Hong Deyuan (eds.); GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • Voodoo lily is a popular ornamental, but the Missouri Botanical Garden suggests planting it well away from windows and walkways, because of the brief but overpowering smell of its flower spikes. Wikipedia: Sauromatum venosum

This source reports two treatments. Both are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around January 5, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Temperature: 40°F 4°C

Germination happens during step 1, in 90 days.

20% germination in 90 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Sauromatum p. 75Public domain
Show the original text
Sauromatum (Araceae). S. venosum germ. 100% in 3rd w. Light or GA-3 had no effect. Seeds also germ. 40-70D(1/5) indicating that a prior 3 m at 40 was deleterious.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Sauromatum p. 75. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 15, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C Light: either

  2. Warm moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

about 3 months from start to step 2. Germination happens during step 2; time not stated, 21 days assumed.

20% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Sauromatum p. 75Public domain
Show the original text
Sauromatum (Araceae). S. venosum germ. 100% in 3rd w. Light or GA-3 had no effect. Seeds also germ. 40-70D(1/5) indicating that a prior 3 m at 40 was deleterious.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Sauromatum p. 75. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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