THIS dramatic looking plant, usually found growing in the Balkans, is thriving in a Poole back garden.

The Dracunculus Vulgaris, also known as black dragon, voodoo lily and stink lily - belongs to Green Gardens’ resident Anita Larby.

She told the Echo: “It must have been about nine years ago, when I was working in a rest home.

“This lady came in with a bag full of bulbs and I just planted them outside.”

They flowered for the first time last year, and since then Anita started feeding them.

“They’re twice as big this year,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this in this country.”

The Dracunculus, endemic to the Balkans, has extended as far as Greece and the Aegean Islands. But it is relatively rare to find them in northern Europe.

The plant produces a foul smell - hence the name stink lily - to attract flies as pollinators.

Dracunculus is Latin for small dragon, taken from the look of the plant’s spadix and spathe which appear to be the tongue of a dragon breathing fire.

According to folklore, carrying the roots protects against snakes.