I have lived with the plant above for the past nine years but had no idea of its botanical name. It was given to me by a friend in a large pot, and for many months I thought it was nothing more that a foliage plant with quite attractive leaves. Then one day it suddenly it bagan to 'flower'. Now every year it has a succession of flowers over a several month period. Somewhat bizarre, but quite attractive in a strange way. Some Thai friends have said it was they thought it was known as 'Black flower' [ ดอกไม้สีดำ ], even though it was actually purple and not black.
Finallly discovered that its botanical name is Tacca integrifolia, 'Bat Flower', and it is a native of nearby Malaysia.
And knowing that it was called 'Bat Flower', I even found a video on Youtube - taken at the Lyons Arboretum in Hawaii.
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