Common name: Dragon Stalk Yam • Hindi: Jangli suran • Marathi: Sherla
Botanical name: Amorphophallus commutatus Family: Araceae (Arum family )
Amorphophallus is a large genus of some 170 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbaceous plants, which includes the world's largest flower, Titan Arum. Dragon Stalk Yam grows from a subterranean tuber. From the top of this tuber a single leaf is produced atop a trunk like petiole followed, on maturity, by a single inflorescence. This leaf consists of a vertical leaf stalk and a horizontal blade, which may consist of a number of small leaflets. The leaf lasts one growing season.
This flower appears before the onset of the monsoon and the leaves appear with the rains. Flowers have a fetid smell and attract flies for pollination.
Amorphophallus commutatus fruits are eaten by koels and bulbuls.
Identification credit: Kiran Srivastava
| Photographed in Sanjay Gandhi National park, Mumbai. |
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