Q: I have an Amorphophallus rivieri in a large pot outdoors in Houston. It produced a bloom, but after a week, the spathe has opened only an inch or so and has not exposed the spadix. Flies are no ...

The plant is indeed the Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete). Its fruit are inedible. When dried, the mature fruit’s hard shells can be made into musical instruments and other receptacles. The tree is ...