Amorphophallus (from Ancient Greek amorphos, 'without form, misshapen' + phallos, 'penis', referring to the shape of the prominent spadix) is a large genus of some 200 tropical and subtropical tuberous herbaceous plants from the Arum family (Araceae), native to Asia, Africa, Australia and various oceanic islands. A few species are edible as 'famine foods' after careful preparation to remove irritating chemicals. One species is known as the corpse flower.
The oldest systematic record of the plants ...