Florist Grows Rare Plant

A Southern California florist has succeeded in getting four separate tubers of a very rare species of aroid plant to bloom outdoors without a greenhouse. By getting Amorphophallus konjac to bloom, Thad Mosely, owner of Premier Floral and Gifts in Loma Linda, believes he bested a British public garden, which bragged last week about bringing a single 23.6-inch blossom to maturity outdoors. Mosely's bloom outdid the British specimen by a little over 13 inches measuring 37-inches in height. The plant goes by a variety of names including Voodoo Lily, Devil’s Tongue, Dragon Plant, Snake Plant, and Elephant Yam. It blooms once in its seven-year life cycle and dies afterward. It is infamous for the smell of its flowers, described as rotting horse meat or putrefying manure, which attract pollinating insects and flies. Mosely believes this marks the first time four separate plants of the same species have ever bloomed simultaneously outside a greenhouse in Southern California. He acquired the original tubers in 2004 from Kirk Pamper, from the American Institute of Floral Designers, and Terry Hernstrom, former landscaper for the historic Kimberly Crest mansion in Redlands. Mosely says he has been having a lot of fun with his stinky flowers. One Saturday Mosely took his blooms to his church to display them for the congregation. The blossoms of hues like mottled greens and dark reddish-brown gave off their pungent aroma to the surprise of congregates at Loma Linda University Church. After her brother commented on the foul smell, a young girl observed that God must have a sense of humor.