I Win!

I managed to delay the final opening and accompanying stench until Mr. Stinxalot could be put outdoors. It smells like a dead animal. Really. 40.5"/103 cm. height above the tuber

The Beast Grows

It's getting bigger and it's only a coincidence I've weighted it down with a couple of big rocks. I've decided it may be safe enough to keep it outside--barring rain--to avoid choking on it indoors. Its exile in the attic did seem to slow the flower's development but there was some wonky curving as the only light was from a low window on one side.

Amorphophallus konjac

The Drama Builds

As I mentioned back on the 14th, my Amorphophallus konjac has decided it't going to bloom before I can stick it and all it's putrid beauty outdoors. As of this moment it's gotten 20" inches taller, four of those inches in the last day. I'm scared.

What Was I Thinking?

A few weeks ago I purchased a nice, blooming-size Amorphophallus konjac tuber at a garden expo. I've grown this species for years and while my plants enjoy reproducing vegetatively with offsets they don't seem particularly interested in growing big tubers that will flower. This one is obviously going to flower because when I got it the bud was already a few inches above the tuber. Now, I know full well that as a fly-pollinated species A. konjac attracts it little winged matchmakers by smelling like carrion. Of the species I have, A. dunnii is the only one that has flowered with any regularity and it actually smells OK--a little closer to what we think of as "floral." It also has always flowered in late spring or summer. I didn't follow the thought to the logical conclusion until my friend, Matt pointed it out to me: this puppy is going to flower before the weather is warm enough to put it outside. A week ago it seemed to perk up and resume its flower formation. Today it's 10.5" and growing. Will I find a suitable place for it when the bloom opens and fills the air with a rotten stench? Will it catch me off guard making our home smell like roadkill? (This once happened with a Typhonium. Not recommended.) Stay tuned for further floral developments.

A Sign of Summer's End

It's been no mystery to me that summer is winding to a close. Still, I was surprised to notice this little sign of the season's demise. What you're seeing here is the beginning of the formation of a bulbil on the leaf of the largest of my Amorphophallus bulbifer plants. A. bulbifer is a relative of the Titan Arum, Amorphophallus titanum that causes a stir among the botanically geeky any time one of them blooms somewhere.

Of the several species of Amorphophallus I have, I think it has the prettiest leaves. They're large, deeply-lobed and have a wavy pink edge. A. bulbifer gets its name from what I believe is a unique mode of reproduction within the genus. At the end of its growing season it forms a large bulbil on top of the point where its petiole joins the leaf blades. Smaller bulbils form at points along the upper side of the main veins of the leaf. A few that are just starting to form are visible here as the little green teardrop shapes. Once the leaf senesces the largest of the bulbils, which now look like rough little potatoes, can be stored and later planted to create new plants.

Serpents of Night and Day

Two more of my favorite plants are blooming! Arisaema costatum has a dark, striped spathe with a long whiplike spadix that hangs well below the pot rim. It's really creepy if you look at it. Which reminds me: Sorry for the ugly siding. It's going this fall.

A nice foil to A. costatum is A. candidissimum. This one has white flowers striped with green at the bottom and a pink flush inside the spathe. To seal the deal making it one of my favorites it has a light, pleasant fragrance. As soon as both of these multiply some more I'm going to try them for hardiness in my garden.

Another Peek at the Phallic Phlower

OK, I'm not proud of the post title but I couldn't resist. Sorry. The bloom on my Amorphophallus dunnii is more open now and you can see inside to the pretty coloration inside the spathe.

Amorphophallus dunnii

One of my Amorphophallus dunnii is in bloom now. What's not to love? I need to find a better backdrop for potted plant photos, though. I never realize how busy the garden looks in some spots.

Turn Up The Heat!

Almost a month ago, on April 28 to be exact, I actually thought spring had come. Eager to get started growing things I dug my boxes of tubers out of the basement and started potting them up. I have a small collection of plants in the Family Araceae, mostly Arisaema and Amorphophallus. What I like most about these plants, apart from their fascinating flowers, is the fact that when autumn comes I can box up the tubers and store them over winter. Then in spring I can grow them into exotic-looking, leafy gems that decorate my deck, patio and entry walk.

But getting back to this spring--it's been slow coming. After the potting session which included the Arisaema fargesii shown above, the weather stayed too cool and was rather dry. Consequently not much got off to a start. With the exception of my new, little Arisaema ringens (right) and a hefty Amorphophallus dunnii, most plants are far from flowering. Now that warmer weather may finally be here I expect that to change quickly.