Stinky In Action!

Here is my wife with a past blossom of Amorphophallus konjac. The plant is native to warm temperate through tropical climates in eastern Asia from Japan and China south to Indonesia. Notice the pleasure in her face as she inhales the "unique” odor of this flower.

I thought I would include a few facts that are presented about Amorphophallus konjac in Wikipedia.

Cultivation and uses

Konjac is grown in China and Japan for its large starchy corm, used to create a flour and gel of the same name. It may also be used as a vegan substitute for gelatin.

Konjac is also used in a popular fruit gel snack, served in bite-sized plastic cups. The snacks are often imported from Asian countries. Recently, there has been some concern about the risk of choking from these snacks, and subsequent recalls in the U.S. and Canada. Unlike gelatin, konjac gel does not dissolve readily in the mouth. Thus the snacks typically have warning labels advising parents to ensure their children chew them thoroughly before swallowing.

The dried corm of the konjac plant contains around 40% glucomannan gum. This polysaccharide makes konjac gel highly viscous.

Konjac powder was added to the first national currency of Japan in the late 1800s to prevent counterfeiting, but this was stopped after rats started eating the bills.