When Mr. Red House first saw a picture of a Toad Lily, his comment was 'Weird.' And I rather agree with him.
They have beautiful but weird-looking flowers, they have a weird name, and there is possibly an even weirder story behind how they became to be known as 'Toad Liles'.
Some say that they are called 'Toad Lilies' due the spotted flowers, which makes sense...
..but others say that these little flowers got their name when a 'Stone-age' tribe in the Philippines that was 'discovered' in the 1970's was shown rubbing juice from this plant all over their hand and arms before going to catch frogs to eat (as a supposed attractant for frogs).
This was part of what is now known as the Tasaday hoax, where a man named Manuel Elizalde, Jr. (advisor to the president of the Philippines) had a primitive local group (the Tasaday people) dress up and act even more primitively so that he could claim that he had found a 'Stone-age' tribe.
The tribe was documented by National Geographic, and a book was even written about it (The Gentle Tasaday) before it was finally discovered that it was a hoax contrived by Elizalde (who reportedly made off with quite a lot of money from the foundation that was set up to protect the Tasaday).
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Toad Lilies and Toad Lily juice doesn't really attract frogs or toads either - that part was a hoax as well.
Weird, huh?
These little flowers are native to parts of Asia, such as the Himalayas, China, Japan, and, of course, the Philippines. They grow naturally along the edges of woodlands, preferring shade and rich, moist soil. You might want to plant them somewhere where you can see the diminutive blooms close up!
Well, however weird their name or story, Toad Lilies are an exotically beautiful addition for a late-blooming shade garden!
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