Typhonium gaoligongense - tubers

Typhonium gaoligongense (often also listed as Sauromatum gaoligongense) is a rare, truly fascinating specialty from the arum family (Araceae). With its spectacular deep chocolate-brown to purple spathe (bract) and striking, fingered foliage, this small, tuber-forming plant is an absolute highlight for every passionate aroid collector and lover of exotic shade plants.

Scope of delivery: Per dormant tuber (approx. 1-1.5 cm)

The plant sprouts in late spring from an underground tuber and reaches a compact height of about 40 centimeters. The inflorescence, with its dark bract and lighter spadix, appears between May and June. Only then, or sometimes simultaneously, does the striking, deeply incised, and pedate foliage unfold. The ideal location is based on its natural habitat: partial shade to shade and protected from cold winds. A humus-rich, structurally stable, and extremely well-draining substrate—ideally generously loosened with mineral additives such as perlite, pumice, zeolite, or lava—is essential to prevent waterlogging. During the winter dormancy phase, the plant completely sheds its foliage; the dormant tuber should be kept significantly drier, cooler, and ideally frost-free during this time.

Typhonium gaoligongense originates from the mountainous Yunnan province in southwest China. There, it grows as an endemic species in the moist, shady gorges and evergreen deciduous forests of the Gaoligong Mountains at an altitude of approximately 2,200 meters. This remote region, famous for its enormous biodiversity, is home to many rare plant species. In botanical taxonomy, the species was temporarily assigned to the genus Sauromatum, which led to the synonyms still frequently used in scientific nomenclature today.