[USDA zone 11 – 13]
 
Plants are 14" - 16" tall planted in 4" round pots. These are 2nd year plants and some are initiating their 3rd growth. These are seed grown. Tubers are about 1½”across. With proper culture I expect these will flower in 4 - 5 years.
 
The seedling photographs are from this offering. The photograph of the tubers is representative of aproximatly the size of those  from this offering as well.
 
Photographs of adult plants are not of this strain, but are of 'Romero' that was a part of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden collection. Plant / Flowers will be similar but these are of different seed stock and genetic origin. 
 
This species is native to lowland areas of western Sumatra. This species as with most Amorphophallus and Arisaema species are seasonally dormant. Plants sprout from a subterranean tuber in the same fashion as the spring Crocus. Mature plants of this species grow 8’ – 12’ tall. Each tuber produces a single stem that terminates with a single “leaf”. Each leaf consists of an inverted umbrella of smaller leaflets that is 6’ – 10’ across. The leaf stem is green sparsely covered with irregular grey-white markings. These markings resemble lichens. The plant alone is very ornamental. The inflorescence is produced from the naked corm before the leaves are produced. The inflorescence is 5’ – 10’ tall. The inflorescence is single "flowered”. The “flower” is actually a modified inflorescence that consists of the spathe (outer ornamental part) and the spadix (internal sexual bits). The spadix is 4’- 9’ tall and enclosed within the spathe. The spadix appendage (non-sexual part) is purple-gray to dark purple-black, extremely elongated, and tapers to a point. The spathe that surrounds the spadix is 3’ – 6’ long. When fully open the spathe flares open rather than staying upright. The exterior of the spathe is green to dark green. The interior of the spathe is dark red-purple. Flowers last a few days to a week. The Infructescence that can form is also very decorative. It consists of a corn cob like structure of green berries that turn yellow, then orange, then red when ripe. The infructescence is 4’ – 6’ tall. It is important to wear gloves if you harvest the berries as they juice can stain and irritate mammalian skin.
 
It is usual for this plant to NOT produce a growth the same season after it flowers. It skips that season and grows the next year. Tubers often flower every other to every third year.