By Analytic
London,
United Kingdom 
Please could anybody help to identify this plant? It cropped up in our garden. The stem is zebra-like, leaves similar to those of a bread plant, the flower is purple and leaf-like, and there's a large rubbery black pollen stick emerging from inside the stem. I've taken a few pictures of it:
note: we live in London, UK
4 Jun, 2011
Answers
There aren't any smells to it at all, it's just there looking impressive in my back garden.
4 Jun, 2011
I'll be interested to see what other people think this is, because I'm not at all sure... there are no visible leaves in the pictures above - are there any leaves?
4 Jun, 2011
I'll go and take a photo of the leaves now and put it up.
4 Jun, 2011
Dracunculus vulgaris, dragon arum. Same family as the Amorphophallus and also smells of rotten meat when it is ready to be pollinated by flies. Luckily, the smell seems to get switched off as soon as pollination is complete.
4 Jun, 2011
Definitely Dracunculus vulgaris, a wonderful thing which grows and even spreads quite happily in many British gardens.
4 Jun, 2011
Cheers Everyone, I think it might be this 'Dracunculus vulgaris'.
5 Jun, 2011
It is, thanks for the positive ID folks - personally, I think its hideous, lol!
5 Jun, 2011
Haha!
5 Jun, 2011
I nearly made a comment which would require knowing one's audience well, so I decided to keep quiet...
5 Jun, 2011
it looks like an amorphophallus of some kind - any stink or smell to it?
4 Jun, 2011