Amorphophallus kiusianus

Flower name
Amorphophallus kiusianus
Scientific name
Amorphophallus kiusianus
Alias山蒟蒻
Place of originJapan, Taiwan, and China
Place of floweringSpecific area
Flowering seasonMay, June

What is Amorphophallus kiusianus

Amorphophallus kiusianus or yama konnyaku (scientific name: Amorphophallus kiusianus) is a perennial herb native to Japan, Taiwan, and China, belonging to the Amorphophallus genus of the Araceae family. In Japan, it grows wild on the floor of lowland, slightly moist evergreen forests in Kochi Prefecture, southern Kyushu to Amami-Oshima and Okinawa.
It has large, oblong globose underground stems that also produce baby spheres. The grass is about 1 meter tall. From May to June, it produces a white-spotted flower stalk on a green background with a drooping inflorescence surrounded by a single flame bract at the tip. The outer base of the flame bract is dark green and the inner side is purple with white spots on both sides. The fleshy drooping inflorescence is 15 cm long, cylindrical/rotate, and bears many flowers, which have no petals, with male flowers at the top of the inflorescence and female flowers at the bottom. At the tip of the fleshy inflorescence is an 8 cm black-purple appendage that emits a foul odor when in bloom to attract flies. The flowers bloom only once every few years. The fruit is green in color at first, but ripen from the tip, turning red and dark blue. After the flowers are over, a fleshy petiole emerges and produces large umbrella-shaped leaves (3 lobed pinnate compound leaves).

Common name: Amorphophallus kiusianus or yama-konnyaku, scientific name: Amorphophallus kiusianus, habitat: Japan and Taiwan, distribution: Kochi Prefecture, southern Kyushu to Amami-Oshima to lowlands of Okinawa, living environment: slightly moist evergreen forest floor, Perennial, [tuber: diameter: 3-20 cm, rhizome shape: oblong + cotyledon, use: medicinal], plant height: 1 m, flower stalk length: 1 m, [bract length: 15-20 cm, width: 10 cm, bract color: dark green (outer base), purple (interior), white spots (interior and exterior)], [inflorescence: Inflorescence: inflorescence: cylindrical to rotund, inflorescence length: 15 cm], [Appendage color: blackish purple, shape: conical bream, appendage length: 8 cm, fragrance: foul-smelling], [Flowering season: May to June, petals: absent, male flowers on top of inflorescence, female flowers on bottom], [Leaves: leaf rootstalk: 1.5 m long, number: 1 leaf, leaf color: green, leaf shape: 3 lobes, pinnate-2 lobes, leaf margin: entire Leaf color: green; leaf shape: 3 lobed, pinnately lobed; leaf margin: entire margin], [Fruit type: liquid fruit; fruit shape: broadly oval; fruit color: green to red to dark blue; fruit diameter: 1 cm], [Note: Endangered species: II.