Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Medicinal - Tubers of A. consanguineum traditionally used to treat coughs, epilepsy and rheumatism. Ornamental - Grown as an ornamental. Food - In Nepal, the leaves are boiled and eaten as vegetables.
Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal
Thrives in permanently damp, sunny, or partially shaded areas like woodlands, at an elevation of 1900-3000 m.
It is a tuberous perennial meaning it grows from a fleshy underground stem and returns year after year reaching a height of around 40 cm upright growth habit with a single main stem.
Stem is a long, robust stalk, typically variegated brown and reaching 12-30 cm in height.
Leaves are umbrella-shaped, with 7-14 narrow, lance-like leaflets radiating outwards. These leaflets are long-pointed and have thread-like appendages at their tips, adding to the plant's unique appearance.
Flowers are borne on a long, robust stalk with mottled brown markings. The stalk reaches 12-30 cm in height. The flowers themselves consist of a dark, purple-brown hooded spathe, 15-20 cm long, marked with delicate green and white stripes. Inside the spathe, a blunt spadix (the flower stalk) sits slightly longer than the cylindrical spathe tube. This spathe resembles a cobra's hood, giving the plant its common name.
Flowering: May-June.