The disgustingly beautiful Amorphophallus macrophyllus 'Bluto'

Earlier today, at a little before 6 AM, I went upstairs to clear my working table for my baby's cradle when I noticed a fetor of what seemed like a rat that died a full week before. So I glanced over my breeding group of mice to see if one died without me knowing it in time- although I find it highly unlikely since I fed them late last night and noticed nothing out of place. None of my other animals died either. But to be sure, I decided to scour the mice enclosure better, and while I was moving to pick a broom a few meters away, the stench grew stronger. The odor could not be possibly emanating from any of my mice. They are all safe and well. A stray rat or shrew may have been caught by one of my cats. And then my eyes went to the direction of my Amorphophallus, and that is when I remembered seeing a developing inflorescence from one of them, a few days ago. 

Gardeners who are familiar with stapeliads are often both awestricken and amused (perhaps rightfully so) by the often ghastly odors of these plants' flowers. If they haven't yet and do not mind raising the bar of their garden funk, perhaps they should also start keeping a few Amorphophallus. These plants arguably put all stinkers to shame. However, there is more to these plants apart from their often pervertedly entertaining inflorescences. When sterile, the often highly patterned petioles provide interest. We really don't bestow much attention to the leaves. And yet, there are some that have leaves that are either brightly marked (e.g. some forms of A. taurostigma, and the ones with the spotted leaflets like A. lacourii, A. obscurus, and A. serrulatus) or unusually colored, like A. atroviridis and A. saururus.

Amorphophallus macrophyllus is a species from Kanchanaburi province in Thailand, where it grows on limestone at altitudes around 200 m above sea level. It was formerly a part of the genus Pseudodracontium as P. macrophyllum. The species name was derived from two Greek words: -'makros'- large, and 'phyllon' which means 'leaf', a reference to the large, undivided leaflets. In many other Amorphophallus species, the leaflets are highly lobed and divided. Two examples that illustrate this can be seen on the two photos below, of A. taurostigma and A. rostratus, respectively.

On the other hand, the leaflets of A. macrophyllus are what is termed botanically as 'entire', which means that these are not divided further into smaller lobes. I do not, however, have the typical A. macrophyllus, but I have its more attractive form known under its cultivar name 'Bluto'.

The foliage of A. macrophyllus 'Bluto' is outstandingly blue-gray. 

The largest leaflets of 'Bluto' are larger than my hand and are quite impressive for Amorphophallus, due to their relative size.

Bluto differs from the typical macrophyllus in having leaflets that are blue-gray, and petioles that are covered in a thin, waxy layer called the 'bloom', and scientifically as the 'pruina'. This covering can be wiped off, never to return again. When keeping this cultivar, one should be very careful not to inadvertently touch nor wipe the pruina off, as that frosty look is best appreciated under an impeccable condition. The waxy coating make the leaflet surfaces repellent to rain, at least in the early stages. Over time, the leaflets become more slick, as a result of the pruina eventually being shed from repeated watering or rains.

Pruina gives the hazy appearance of the petioles in 'Bluto'.

This clump below is from a single tuber. The storage organ has obviously matured well enough to permit multiple growths and an inflorescence. The plastic forks are there to dissuade my cats from playing gardeners and, uhmm... fertilizing the plants.

Small plants often have only two leaflets, as demonstrated by this example:

The glaucous leaflets actually have very thin, very pale red margins, that are most chromatically heightened when the leaflets are just beginning to unfurl.

I grow my plants without any overhead shading, but I do keep their soils moist most of the time. Since Amorphophallus are heavy feeders, I fertilize these and other species twice a week using two different fertilizers. When the plants are large enough, I feed them high potassium fertilizers about a month before their expected dormancy. This ensures that the tubers have enough potassium reserves to encourage the production of an inflorescence. Just don't hold your breath because these plants bloom very sporadically. Then again, you may need to do that once they do.

If truth be told, macrophyllus' inflorescences are not as spectacular as some of the more horridly magnificent members of the genus, but are a welcome sight nevertheless. This cultivar's strength lies in its foliage, which strikingly stands out amidst a sea of greenery. A highly recommended species for any aroid nut.

Although one can argue that its strength lies in its nasty odor.