spathe

The tiny white flowers within the spathe are an important food source for the first pollinators of the year.

Its compound flower is composed of a hollow, tall spadix with small flowers and a spathe, with one big, furrowed petal that is green on the outside and deep burgundy red on the inside.

It features a tall, fleshy column called a spadix and a frilly outer covering called a spathe.

The huge maroon spathe and spadix were impressive in more ways than one — visitors spent most of the day looking for what surely was a dead body in the border.

These are flanked by Voodoo lilies that produce a huge, purple spathe when in bloom, and reek of rotting meat.