[House Plant]: Voodoo Lily – Unique and Unusual Indoor Plants for Your Home Decor

This week’s plant choice is the Voodoo Lily….

There’s something so peaceful and relaxing about having plants inside your home. I love the look of plants tucked into the corners of a room, displayed on coffee tables and kitchen counters, and gracing bathroom vanities.

Plants help a room feel grounded.

I especially love unique plants. Plants that act as conversation starters, and not something you see everywhere you go.

I’m always on the look-out for unique plants, and with this new series on my blog, I’ll share my latest finds with you. Here’s the latest find…

The links in this post may contain affiliate links. I’ll receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. I only write about and share things that I actually use and enjoy. 

Amorphophallus konjac (Voodoo Lily)

You’ve probably heard of the Corpse Flower (especially if you’ve ever watched Denise the Menace starring Walter Matthau), and know that the smell of the flower is like rotting meat. But did you know that this plant makes an interesting house plant or patio plant?

I really like this plant because of the stages it goes through, and the shape of the leaves on the plant remind me of umbrellas on rainy Summer days.

Amorphophallus konjac ‘Voodoo Lily’

About the Plant

The Amorphophallu konjac has several more familiar names – Voodoo Lily, Corpse Flower, Snake Palm, Umbrella Arum, Dragon Plant are just a few. This plant is native to the tropics of eastern Asia.

This plant is part of the philodendron family, which produce a single leaf from a tuber.

The tuber can grow quite large over the years – up to about a foot in diameter. When the plant grows each year, it uses the nutrients of the tuber to grow, shrinking the tuber. But as the plant grows, a new and larger tuber forms. This repeats each growing season.

The leaf that grows has a really interesting stem. It’s sort of pink and grey with an interesting dotted pattern. When the leaves burst open, they form an umbrella shape. When all leaves are open, the plant looks like a small tree – perfect as a houseplant or a patio plant.

This plant can grow up to 6-feet tall by around 4-feet wide.

Unlike some other tropical plants, the Voodoo Lily requires a dry, dormant rest each year. The leaf lasts just one growing season, so you need to move the tuber into a rest area during dormancy.

If the tuber is large enough (usually when it reaches the size of a softball), it produces a flower before the leaves appear. The flower has a very thick stalk with a shiny maroon color spathe (vase portion of the flower) that has pale green and purple mottling at the base. This portion of the flower is around 2-feet tall. In the center of the spathe is the cone (spadix) that is 3-feet tall (5-feet tall overall). When the flower is blooming, it smells like rotting meat, which attracts carrion flies for pollination. The smell goes away after the flower has been pollinated. When the flower is done (usually after a month of showy display), the plant produces a berry. Roughly a month or so after the berry, the leaves emerge.

Because this plant goes through various stages, in colder climates (like here in Minnesota), the plant is grown as a houseplant and can be moved to the patio in warmer weather.

When the leaf begins to die (usually in the Fall), the plant is entering dormancy and the soil needs to dry out completely. When the soil is dry, the plant can be moved indoors and the tuber can be left in the pot. If preferred, the tuber can also be removed from the pot and stored in a brown paper bag over the Winter. Make sure not to cut off the leaf until it is completely dead and brown.

After dormancy, and when the weather starts to get warmer, the tuber will start to sprout (usually in early May). You’ll see small pink tips growing out of the tuber. Make sure to provide consistent water when the plant is growing. This plant can tolerate a lot of water! The plant also needs to be fertilized heavily through the growing season in order to thrive. This plant prefers warm weather and indirect sunlight.

The larger the tuber, the larger the plant. It is very important to plant the tuber in a pot that is at least twice as wide and twice as tall as the tuber. The larger the pot, the better, as the pot really controls how large the plant can be, and if it will flower or not.

Small tubers don’t have the necessary nutrients to produce a large flower. Typically the tuber needs to be around 7-inches in diameter before it will flower.

Parts of the Voodoo Lily are poisonous to animals or humans. The tuber is edible when cooked or processed.

Why I Love It

I really love the stages this plant goes through. It’s an unusual and interesting plant, and not one that most people see every day.

This tuber is my first. And as you can see by the photo below, it is in dormancy right now. I look forward to Spring when it starts to grow again!

Where to Buy

I bought this 2-pound tuber from MeanstreakStudio on Etsy for $24.59 (including tax and shipping).

If you have more suggestions for unique or unusual plants, please leave a comment below.

For more unusual houseplants, visit my “Plants – Unusual and Unique” Pinterest board at

And for even more house plant ideas, visit my “Plants – Indoor Jungle Decor” Pinterest board at