{"title":"Helicodiceros","description":"\u003cp\u003eVery closely related to dracunculus, helicodiceros is a monotypic aroid genus native to a few islands in the Mediterranean. It is an esoteric and exotic plant that is extremely hard to find for sale. The main insect pollinator of Helicodiceros is the blowfly and in order to attract them, the flower produces a spathe that has the color and texture of skin and a spadix with a rotten fish scent...mmm, mmm good! Luckily the scent lasts only for a single day.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eHelicodiceros flowers have the rare ability to generate heat via a process called thermogenesis...a warm-blooded plant! During the flowering cycle, the helicodiceros flower generates enough heat to volatilize the main scent components of the flower. The heat (and thus the scent) is produced in waves that last several minutes apiece. Flies, attracted by the smell, enter the Helicodiceros flower through a constricted entrance looking for a meal and are trapped inside for an entire day where they are thoroughly covered with pollen. After a day the constriction relaxes and the flies can escape, now covered in pollen.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eHelicodiceros has similar growth requirements to its close \u003ca title=\"See all Aroids for sale\" href=\"..\/collections\/aroids\"\u003earoid\u003c\/a\u003e relative, \u003ca title=\"dracunculus vulgaris\" href=\"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/products\/dracunculus-vulgaris\"\u003edracunculus\u003c\/a\u003e, which some taxonomist now consider the same genus . Early in the growth phase, Helicodiceros prefers plenty of water but does not like overly wet soils when dormant. In the fall, watering should be stopped to force the plant into dormancy. The dry conditions should be maintained until the following February when you can resume light watering until the tops re-appear. If you keep your helicodiceros too dry, it will go dormant early in the year and not reappear until the following spring. When you are ready to buy helicodiceros for your garden, check out our online offering of helicodiceros for sale.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"helicodiceros-muscivorus","title":"Helicodiceros muscivorus","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou can bet this common name wasn't coined by a Wall Street marketing firm. Helicodiceros, an easy-to-grow first cousin to the famed aroid Dracunculus vulgaris, grows on rocky coastal cliffs on the Mediterranean Islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and the Balearics. The offsetting tubers give rise to the 1' tall, duck-foot-shaped, green, three-dimensional foliage which emerges in very early spring. Later in spring, the spectacular tan- and purple-speckled bud emerges from the foliage, then opens parallel to the ground as a large flesh-colored spathe highlighted by purple tails (spadix) which emerge from the \"crack.\" The open flower resembles the backside of a flatulent pig...in image and in fragrance. If you grow this, it's best not to mention it on your eHarmony profile.\u003c\/p\u003e ","brand":"Plant Delights Nursery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":21028655941,"sku":"8667","price":21.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/files\/Helicodiceros-muscivorus.i-8667.s-61125.r-1_26cf3e93-7c8a-4567-956d-13c9a0f07411.jpg?v=1791485705"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1527\/8799\/collections\/helicodiceros-banner-image.jpg?v=1655304283","url":"https:\/\/www.plantdelights.sbs\/collections\/helicodiceros.oembed","provider":"Plant Delights Nursery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}