Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Rivieri Voodoo Lily (Amorphophallus rivieri)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called rivieri voodoo lily, umbrella arum.

More about rivieri voodoo lily

About Rivieri Voodoo Lily

Amorphophallus rivieri · also called rivieri voodoo lily, umbrella arum · tropical

The rivieri voodoo lily (a name long applied to konjac-type Amorphophallus) grows from a large dormant tuber that throws a single dramatic, foul-smelling flower, then a tall umbrella-like dissected leaf on a mottled snakeskin petiole. It demands a warm growing season, rich moist soil, and a dry winter rest while the tuber sleeps underground.

Cold limit: USDA 7b-10 (lift or heavily mulch the tuber where frost penetrates) · RHS H3 (18-30°C)

Watch for — Tuber rot in dormancy: Wet, cold compost during the winter rest is the commonest killer. Store the lifted corm dry, or ensure razor-sharp drainage if left in the ground.

What rivieri voodoo lily's hardiness rating actually means

Rivieri Voodoo Lily is half-hardy (RHS H3). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H3 means: Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze. On the US scale that maps to USDA 7b-10 (lift or heavily mulch the tuber where frost penetrates) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −5 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Rivieri Voodoo Lily shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for rivieri voodoo lily as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about −5 to 1 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can rivieri voodoo lily go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 7b-10 (lift or heavily mulch the tuber where frost penetrates) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when rivieri voodoo lily can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H3 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline rivieri voodoo lily

Rivieri Voodoo Lily is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Rivieri Voodoo Lily hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is rivieri voodoo lily cold hardy?

Rivieri Voodoo Lily is half-hardy (RHS H3). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 7b-10 (lift or heavily mulch the tuber where frost penetrates) (and sheltered UK gardens) rivieri voodoo lily can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature rivieri voodoo lily can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about −5 to 1 °C — a light, short frost only. Rivieri Voodoo Lily shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

What hardiness zone is rivieri voodoo lily?

Rivieri Voodoo Lily is rated USDA 7b-10 (lift or heavily mulch the tuber where frost penetrates) and RHS H3 — Half-hardy — comes through mild UK winters outside but is killed by a hard freeze.

Can rivieri voodoo lily survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 7b-10 (lift or heavily mulch the tuber where frost penetrates) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect rivieri voodoo lily from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.