Selasa, 01 April 2008
Titan Arum in Madison
Take a Clothes Pin! Second Blooming "Corpse Flower" 6/28/2005 time_600pm
At 6:00 pm on 6/7/01, the 101 inch tall Titan Arum or "corpse flower" in the UW-Madison Botany Greenhouse blooms. The flower gradually opened over the course of 6 hours, as shown in a time-lapse series on UW's site
� UW-Madison University Communications 608/262-0067
Photo by: Michael Rothbart
Date: 06/01 File#: color slide
http://marienhoftuin.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_archive.html
Arum titan (Amorphophallus titanum)
Le réveil du titan !
 | Cette plante, aux proportions monumentales, appartient à la famille des arums. Originaire des forêts tropicales de Sumatra, elle fut cultivée pour la première fois, comme curiosité, en 1879 au Jardin Royal de Kew à Londres. Pendant une partie de l’année, la plante se présente sous la forme d’une feuille unique de 2 à 5 mètres de haut, au limbe découpé porté par un pétiole épais et charnu qui émerge directement du sol. |
| Puis la feuille dépérit et il ne subsiste, en phase de repos, qu’un tubercule dont le poids augmente chaque année (le tubercule cultivé à Brest pesait 30 Kg en janvier 2007). |  |
| C’est seulement au bout d’une dizaine d’années que le tubercule produit une fleur pouvant atteindre 2,70 mètres de haut. Comme souvent chez les plantes de la famille des arums, la fleur de l’Arum titandégage une odeur nauséabonde, dont l’intensité est proportionnelle à la taille de la fleur ! Pour pousser, la plante nécessite un sol profond, fertile et humifère. Elle doit être régulièrement arrosée en période de croissance. |  |
Le défrichement intensif des forêts tropicales indonésiennes est responsable de la régression rapide des populations sauvages de cette espèce. Cultivée au Conservatoire Botanique depuis 1995, ce plant a fleuri en 2003.
| Après une période de repos de 5 mois (de janvier à mai 2007), le tubercule de l’Arum titan cultivé à Brest a produit un nouveau bourgeon qui est en train de sortir de terre. Malheureusement,le bourgeon de notre Arum titan a encore donné une feuille cette année. Il faudra donc attendre au moins l'été 2009 pour avoir peut-être une fleur ! |  |
Titan Arum in Sydney
A maior flor do mundo
e também a mais fedidinha...
Titan Arum
Clique pra ver uma gif legal da *fedorosa* florescendo!
Não postei porque é muito pesada (literalmente).
Centenas de pessoas visitaram os Jardins Reais Botânicos de Sydney
para admirar a maior planta do mundo, a chamada *flor-cadáver*,
devido ao odor repulsivo. De 1,33 metro de diâmetro, esta
Arum Titan abriu plenamente sua coroa entre a noite
de quarta-feira e a quinta-feira desta semana.
Esta é a segunda vez que a planta floresce na Austrália. A primeira
aconteceu há vários anos em Cairns, no nordeste do país.
A Amorphophallus titanum, nome científico da planta,
floresce duas ou três vezes durante seus
quarentas anos de existência.
Então é verdade quando dizem que nos menores
frascos estão os melhores perfumes...
http://www.pullga2.blogger.com.br/2004_11_01_archive.html
Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Elephant Ear Titan Aroid)
180 (300)cm, Elephant Ear Titan Aroid is a tall species from Malaysia, cultivated throughout the tropics. Makes a leaf similar to those in Amorphophallus titanum, above a nicely white to dark brown checkered stem. Its large, dark maroon red inflorescence unfolds just above the ground. For any rich, well drained to humus rich and sandy soil in a partially shaded spot, keep always warm at a minimum of 20°C in summer, respectively dormant corms in a completely dry soil at a minimum of some 15°C in winter. The large tuber may gain up to 10kg in weight. Sow seeds in a slightly moist, rich, well drained soil, keep pots at 20°C to 27°C, turn seedlings to a partially shaded place in summer, respectively to a sunny spot during winter months.
http://www.rareplants.de/shop/product.asp?strParents=6&CAT_ID=95&P_ID=8265
Titan Arum in Thailand
ดอก Titan Arum หรือดอกบุกยักษ์ ดอกไม้ใหญ่ที่สุดในโลก ได้บานเป็นครั้งแรกในเมืองไทยที่สวนนงนุช จังหวัดชลบุรี เมื่อวันที่ ๒๒ มิถุนายน ๒๕๔๖
Titan Arum หรือ บุกยักษ์ มีถิ่นกำเนิดเพียงแห่งเดียวในโลก ในป่าดิบชื้นพื้นล่างในเกาะสุมาตราตอนกลาง มีชื่อวิทยาศาสตร์ว่า Amorphophallus titanum อยู่ในวงศ์ Araceae ชื่อวิทยาศาสตร์แปลเป็นภาษาไทยได้ความหมายว่า ต้น "ลึงค์ยักษ์แปลง" คือแปลงกายให้เหมือนลึงค์แต่ไม่ใช่ลึงค์ ทางสวนนงนุชได้นำเข้ามาจากสวนพฤกษศาสตร์โบกอร์ (Bogor the botanic garden) ประเทศอินโดนีเซีย เพื่อมาทดลองปลูกภายในสวนเมื่อห้าปีก่อน
บุกยักษ์เป็นพืชที่มีลำต้นกลมอยู่ใต้ดินเพื่อสะสมอาหาร ดอกบุกยักษ์เริ่มงอกโผล่พ้นดินเมื่อวันที่ ๗ มิถุนายน เจริญเติบโตขึ้นวันละ ๑๐-๑๕ ซม. และดอกเริ่มบานเมื่อวันที่ ๒๒ มิถุนายน ลักษณะกลีบดอกด้านในเป็นสีแดงปนสีม่วง ดอกชนิดนี้บานแค่สองวัน ก่อนจะเหี่ยวเฉาไปตามธรรมชาติ วัดความสูงของดอกได้ ๑๓๕ ซม. และดอกบานเต็มที่วัดเส้นรอบวงได้ ๑๕๖ ซม. ขณะที่ดอกบาน จะส่งกลิ่นเหม็นเน่าคล้ายหมาตาย เพื่อล่อแมลงมาผสมเกสร ดอกส่งกลิ่นโดยปล่อยน้ำมันระเหยออกมาจากแก่นกลางดอก อบด้วยอุณหภูมิภายในดอกที่สูงกว่าข้างนอกหลายองศาเซลเซียส แล้วใช้ตัวลึงค์เป็นปล่องกระจายกลิ่นออกไป ดังนั้นความใหญ่ของดอกน่าจะเกี่ยวกับศักยภาพในการกระจายกลิ่นในพื้นที่ป่าดิบที่ไม่มีลม
ภายในโคนดอก ประกอบด้วยดอกเล็ก ๆ จำนวนมากอยู่ภายใน โดยดอกตัวผู้อยู่ด้านบนของดอกตัวเมีย กล่าวได้ว่าดอก Titan Arum เป็นดอกรวมขนาดใหญ่ที่สุดในโลก (ดอกเดี่ยวใหญ่ที่สุดในโลก คือดอกบัวผุด) ในเกาะสุมาตรา เคยมีดอกบุกยักษ์โตเต็มที่สูงถึง ๓ เมตร วัดความกว้าง ๒ เมตร รัฐบาลอินโดนีเซียเคยตีพิมพ์ภาพดอกบุกยักษ์บนธนบัตรประจำชาติใบละ ๕๐๐ รูปี
หลังจากบุกยักษ์ออกดอกเป็นครั้งแรกแล้ว นักพฤกษศาสตร์ไม่อาจตอบได้ว่า อีกกี่ปีบุกยักษ์ต้นนั้นจึงจะออกดอกอีกครั้งหนึ่ง
http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/titan_arum.htm
Titan Arum in in Massachusetts
The Titan Arum, a rare plant also known as the “corpse flower” for its strong odor while flowering, was front-page news in local newspapers as it bloomed in Smith’s Lyman Conservatory for several days in early August. This was the first time the endangered plant has ever flowered in Massachusetts. Photo by Fish/Parham.
http://images.google.co.id/imgres?imgurl=http://www.smith.edu/newssmith/fall2005/images/Img0066.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.smith.edu/newssmith/fall2005/newsbriefs.php&h=326&w=491&sz=51&hl=id&start=87&sig2=2JvboSqiDxixSMQC4fdjiw&um=1&tbnid=Z1FwKlGByM6PNM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=130&ei=oBzzR_2mJpm66gOjwozJCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtitan%2Barum%26start%3D80%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Did%26sa%3DN
Warm weather prompts Corpse Flower to bloom early
Earth News: London
Feb 05, 2007
Unseasonably warm weather may have tricked the world's smelliest plant into blooming in the middle of the northern hemisphere winter, said botanists at the Eden Project where the native of Sumatra is housed. The warmth of 2006 and mild winter to date have encouraged the Titan Arum or Corpse Flower into a phenomenal growth spurt and into flower - an event that usually happens only once every six to nine years. Its smell "is a cross between rotten cheese, dog poo and something dead." It is HIGHLY ABNORMAL for the plant to flower in winter. "Last year's unprecedented warm temperatures and high sunshine levels and the extremely mild winter we are currently experiencing have to be considered as a factor in this RARE occurrence."
http://earthfrenzyradio.blogspot.com/2007/02/warm-weather-prompts-corpse-flower-to.html
http://earthfrenzyradio.blogspot.com/2007/02/warm-weather-prompts-corpse-flower-to.html
Titan Arum in Royal Botanic Garden, Kew
A flowering of titan arum always generates intense interest
Watch it grow - November 2007 flowering
This titan arum opened late-afternoon on Sunday 4 November and was fully open on 5 November.
Kew's recent flowerings
In 1996 a titan arum flowered at Kew for the first time for many decades. Six years later we saw an unprecedented three flowerings in as many months. This was the first evidence that Kew's horticulturists had finally cracked the secrets of cultivating this rare and unique plant. Since then there has been one flowering in 2003, three more in 2005, and two in 2006.
1996 - A plant donated by Leiden University's botanic garden flowered at Kew and attracted vast crowds and intense media interest from around the world.
2002/3 - the specimens which flowered in 2002 and 2003 were grown both from seed donated to Kew in 1995 and from tiny micropropagated plants received from the botanic garden in Bonn in 1995. To build up the storage tubers, they were potted on into 750 litre containers in 1999 although they were in full leaf at the time. When the leaves died down, the largest tuber was placed in a 1,000 litre pot and the two smaller ones were put into new compost in 750 litre pots. For the next 14 months, they were grown behind the scenes at Kew in our Tropical Nursery. The plants are fed regularly with a high potash liquid fertiliser.
In January 2002, while the plants were dormant, they were potted up again. The largest of the three tubers, one of those grown from seed, weighed 75 kg (although since then we have had one, repotted in winter 2004, which weighed an astonishing 91kg). As the new bud started to emerge the plant was transferred to the Princess of Wales Conservatory. During the day, the temperature is at least 24ºC and at night it drops no lower than 19ºC. The humidity is maintained at 70-80% – mimicking the conditions prevailing in the plant’s original rainforest habitat.
2005 to today - thanks to an increase in the number of plants held at Kew, but equally the enhanced understanding and skill of Kew's horticulturists, we have seen several flowerings at Kew each year.
Titan Arum Blooming Event UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, 2007
Watch it progress chronologically. For the latest image, see bottom of this column or look at top of left column.
Titan Arum, Amorphophallus titanum
 | ||
| 18 June 2007 | ||
| We first began to suspect that the small bud emerging from the Arum's large pot could possibly be a flower and not a leaf on Friday, June 8th. Pictured here on June 18th, the bud has expanded to 31" tall and 8.5" wide. | ||
| | ||
 | 19 June 2007 | |
| The Titan Arum flower bud continues to expand - growing 2" in height since yesterday. It will remain in the greenhouse until nearer to opening (estimating 10 - 14 days from now), when we plant to move it outdoors to the greenhouse courtyard for its public debut! | ||
| | 20 June 2007 | |
| Today the sheath of the bud has just begun to separate - we can see the immature spike poking out, as well as the immature bract portion of what will become the flower. The overall height today is 34". | ||
| | 21 June 2007 | |
| The spike has grown by 5 inches today - poking further out of the protective leaf sheaths. The folds of what will develop into the frilly "cloak", called a spathe are more visible. Even though we can see these parts of the developing inflorescence, at 39 inches "Bella" is still a long way from blooming. | ||
| | 22 June 2007 | |
| 3 more inches today. Bella measures 42" high and 12" wide. Greenhouse horticulturist, Jennifer Alm is inspecting the progress. | ||
| | 23 June 2007 | |
| Bella grew 4” today, so is now measuring 46” tall and continues to “fatten” . The protective bracts surrounding the developing flower are still intact, which tells us the flower has at least a week before opening. | ||
 | 25 June 2007 | |
| Bella grew 6" since Sat. and stands 52" tall. The sheath leaves have begun to fall away as the flower grows to 30" in girth. No smell and no color yet. John Denti, orchid curator, measures Bella. | ||
 | 26 June 2007 | |
| Bella grew to 56 " tall on Tuesday. The last large sheathing leaf has fallen and there is a hint of maroon color inside the cloak. We turned her around as we have been looking at the back side. Note groove on the horn. | ||
 | 27 June 2007 | |
| Bella stands at 57 " - growth slowing. More color and texture forming. No smell. She has been moved a few feet to positing for public viewing. Harwood Gardens manager Teri Edwards sports new "Bella" T-shirts now available. | ||
 | 28 June 2007 | |
| Bella is 59" tall, and growing fatter. She shows more maroon color on the frilly spathe, here with Buffie Stephens, Media Relations Coordinator at UNCCharlotte. | ||
 | June 29, 2007 | |
| Bella is 60" tall - turning maroon inside the spathe. No smell yet. She was on the web cam all night. Here she is with Sue Richards, head volunteer at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. Looks like Sunday may be big day - or not. Watch this site. watch the web cam. | ||
 | June 30, 2007 | |
| Bella is 60 inches tall, hasn't changed much. here she is with gardener Connie Byrne. We are told by expert Alan Galloway that she will likely open Sunday night. We also had visit today from Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh where Bella was born in 2001. | ||
 | July 1, 2007 | |
| The day has come -- Bella, the Titan Arum began opening early this morning - around 5 am! | ||
| | July 2, 2007 | |
| Bella's smell has ended (can still get a whiff if you get real close), and her spathe is drawing in, but she is still a sight to see. The withering of the flower is happening more rapidly than we expected. Visit today or early tomorrow, as the flower may be closed up by tomorrow afternoon. Pictured is Suzanne Mellichamp, who was inspired by Bella's coloring to dye her hair. | ||
 | July 3, 2007 | |
| Bella is behaving like a shrinking violet - the flower has withered rather quickly and will be mostly closed by tomorrow morning. Despite Larry Mellichamp's grimace, the flower no longer stinks. We will continue to allow her to "fade" naturally, until she collapses (perhaps by Friday). Then we will be watching expectantly for a leaf to emerge. The greenhouse will be open to visitors on July 4, from 10 am to 3pm. | ||
 | July 4, 2007 | |
| Bella's horn collapsed today around 2pm. We are sad to see the flower go, but have enjoyed the excitement this plant has brought to the greenhouse and gardens. Soon, we will remove the collapsed flower, and wait for a leaf bud to emerge from the tuber. The giant leaf should be up and expanded by the beginning of August. If we are lucky, Bella will grace us with another flower in 3-5 years. Thank you for visiting and come back often! | ||
| | July 5, 2007 | |
| Bye, Bye Bella! "All good things must come to an end" -- and some of them quicker than others. We will most likely cut off the giant faded flower ceremoniously on Friday. As soon as the leaf bud emerges from the tuber we will begin again growing this amazing plant and hope for another flower in 3-5 years. Thank you to all who visited, shared your excitement, and supported us. We hope you will come visit the greenhouse and gardens many times before Bella blooms again! | ||
Where does the Titan Arum come from?
The Titan Arum grows in the moist, shady jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia.
What a weird-looking flower – is it really the largest flower in the world?
The Titan Arum produces the largest unbranched, inflorescence in the world. The largest of these recorded in cultivation was over 9.5 ft tall! An inflorescence is a structure containing multiple flowers. The Titan Arum bears a special type of inflorescence that looks like one gigantic flower. The tall slender central spike actually bears hundreds of tiny male and female flowers at its base. These little flowers at the base of the spike are hidden by the pleated sheath surrounding it. This sheath will open up at bloom and look like a sort of giant, frilly, maroon petal. Botanists call this sheath and spike type of inflorescence a "spathe and spadix".
Plants that produce these spathe and spadix blooms are in the arum family of plants. A local member of this family is the woodland "Jack-in-the-pulpit" Jack is the spadix and his pulpit is the spathe.
Does it really smell that bad?
Yes, but not for long! The plant produces waves of odor that have been variously described as smelling of rotting animal, dung, and rancid cheese. The Indonesian name for the Titan translates as “corpse flower”. Thankfully, these odors are only produced for 8 to 24 hours – corresponding to the “ripening” of the tiny female flowers, followed by the tiny male flowers at the base of the spike. In the wild, the odor can carry for up to a half-mile attracting specific pollinators. Scientists have observed carrion beetles, carrion flies, and sweat bees visiting the Titan Arum in Sumatra.
How old is your Titan?
Our titan arum, “Bella” is fairly young to be blooming – it is only about 8 years old.
Will it flower again?
We don’t know. It is certainly possible, as other gardens have had individuals bloom again – usually after 3-5 years. In the wild, individuals are estimated to bloom 3-6 times in a 40-yr life span. Plants in cultivation normally don’t live that long.
Where did you get “Bella”, your Titan Arum plant?
We got ours as a small tuber from Tony Avent, of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh. Tony is a fan of many plants in the same genus as the Titan Arum. Some species of Amorphophallus are actually winter-hardy in the Carolinas - these plants are much smaller than the Titan Arum, but fascinating, and even smelly in their own right. The Titan Arum is extremely sensitive to cold and must never be exposed to temperatures below 50 degrees F.
Why did you name her Bella? … Is it really a “she”?
First off, Bella is actually an “it”, since the “flower” is both male and female. Akin to naming a child, we decided on "Bella" for a couple of reasons. Bella is Latin for beautiful, and we are so proud of this flower that, despite its smell, we can only think of it as wonderfully beautiful. Additionally, the shape of the spathe surrounding the spike is that of an inverted Bell.
Is it rare?
In its natural habitat it has a limited range, but until recently was uncommon (but not rare) within that range. Unfortunately it is now becoming rarer and rarer – due to habitat destruction and illegal collecting of the tubers. A good number of botanical gardens around the world (and even individuals) have specimens, but they require specific growing conditions to thrive, and there is no guarantee they will ever bloom. Being lucky enough to have one bloom in cultivation is the rarity.
Where are the stems and leaves of this plant?
The Titan Arum grows out of a large, underground corm, which is very much like a bulb or tuber. The corm is actually a compressed underground stem that looks like a roundish, flattened potato. The corms of some Titans have weighed in at over 200 lbs!
At different stages during its life the Titan's corm is either dormant underground, or bearing a giant compound leaf or a solitary, giant inflorescence. In other words, the leaf and the flower never exist on the plant at the same time. After the Titan blooms, its amazing “flower” will wither and collapse, but the corm below ground will remain. After a short period a giant leaf will emerge. The leaf is spectacular in its own right. Its stalk is up to 12’ tall (taller in the wild), colored with splotches in shades of green and cream, and appearing somewhat like a giant, lacy umbrella. Although it looks like a weird sort of tree, it is truly just one giant, compound leaf! The leaf can last up to a year, before it turns yellow and dies. Then the plant must go through a period of rest (dormancy) – during this time is exists only as the underground corm.
Where can I find out more about the Titan Arum?
The web is full of information on this fascinating, dramatic plant. Most gardens and universities that have had one bloom have pictures and information. Search for “Titan Arum” or “Amorphophallus titanum”.
http://gardens.uncc.edu/Titan%20Arum.htm
Titan Arum in Eastern Connecticut State University
Amorphophallus titanum 'Rhea'
Titan Arum or Corpse Flower
Blooming: August, 2007
A brief history of our ECSU specimens and other information can be found below the photographs.
August 20, 2007 1 PM
August 21, 2007 2 PM
August 21, 2007 2 PM
August 23, 2007 12 Noon
Spadix 116 cm, apex 122 cm above soil
Spadix 31° C, Petiole 31° C
August 22, 2007 1 PM
Spadix 103 cm, apex 109 cm above soil
Spadix 27-28° C, Petiole 28° C
August 23, 2007 12 Noon
Spadix 116 cm, apex 122 cm above soil
Spadix 31° C, Petiole 31° C
August 24, 2007 12 Noon
Spadix 130 cm, apex 136 cm above soil
Spadix 34° C, Petiole 34° C
August 25, 2007 12 Noon
Spadix 137 cm, apex 142 cm above soil
Spadix 34° C, Petiole 34° C
August 26, 2007 1 PM
Spadix 148 cm, apex 154 cm above soil
Spadix 31° C, Petiole 31° C
August 27, 2007 1 PM
Spadix 155 cm, apex 161 cm above soil
Spadix 29° C, Petiole 30° C
August 28, 2007 1 PM
Spadix 161 cm, apex 167 cm above soil
Spadix 35° C, Petiole 35° C
August 29, 2007 1 PM
Spadix 167 cm, apex 171 cm above soil
Spadix 34° C, Petiole 34° C
August 30, 2007 1 PM
Spadix 171 cm, apex 173 cm above soil
Spadix 36° C, Petiole 36° C
August 30, 2007 5:30 PM
No fragrance
Spadix 32° C, Petiole 32° C
August 30, 2007 6:30 PM
Weak "sauerkraut" smell
August 30, 2007 7:30 PM
Intense "sauerkraut" smell
August 30, 2007 8:30 PM
Intense "sauerkraut" smell extending
into stairs to parking lot!
Spadix tip: 29° C
Spadix subapical: 33° C
Spadix mid: 26° C
Spadix color-change: 29° C
Spadix base: 26° C
Male flowers: 25° C
Female flowers: 24° C
Petiole 27° C
August 30, 2007 9:30 PM
Intense "sauerkraut" smell extending into stairs to parking lot!
Nauseating inside greenhouse...and needing a shower before bed!
By 10:30 PM fragrance easily noted in the Shafer/Burr breezeway
Spadix: most of its length is 30° C...except base
August 31, 2007 7:00 AM
Intense smell abated considerably at perhaps 10% of maximum!
August 31, 2007 9:00 AM
Fragrance further abated perhaps 5% of maximum!
August 31, 2007 12 Noon
Fragrance further diminished!
August 31, 2007 3 PM
Fragrance very faint...nearly gone
Male flowers still undehisced
September 1, 2007 12 Noon
Fragrance essentially gone
Silicone camera skin has more of it than the inflorescence!
Spadix: 171 cm long, Spadix 26° C., Petiole 31° C.
September 2, 2007 1 PM
Spadix collapsing at tip
Fresh pollen collected and refrigerated for Lehman College
September 3, 2007 1 PM
Spadix collapsing in middle
Accumulated pollen collected for Lehman College
August 30, 2007 8:30 PM
Closer view of base of spadix with flowers below
and surrounded by deep purple and slightly irridescent spathe
August 30, 2007 8:30 PM
Yet closer view of base of spadix with flowers
Male flowers are white and above purple female flowers
September 1, 2007 12 Noon
Male flowers shedding sticky yellow pollen downward over
Purple styles and buff stigmas of female flowers
September 3, 2007 2 PM
Spathe cut away
Fallen pollen collected for Lehman College
September 3, 2007 2 PM
Individual male (above) and female (below) flowers
A brief history of the ECSU Amorphophallus titanum specimens
In 1993 the late Dr. James R. Symon found an Amorphophallus titanum plant in fruit while he was filming episodes for the BBC video, The Private Life of Plants. Upon returning to the US from the plant's native home of Sumatra, he shared seeds from this one plant with conservatories and universities.
In 2001, one of those seeds had produced a plant in bloom at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. Harry Luther and the staff collected the pollen from 'Mr. Magnificent' (as this plant was named), and sent it to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. There, blooming a few days later, was another plant from the seeds collected by Dr. Symon. 'Big Bucky' was pollinated in June 2001 and produced ripe fruit in October 2001.
Mohammad Fayyaz, the curator at University of Wisconsin, offered seeds from this pollination to the community of greenhouse curators. Ross Koning, who manages the greenhouse at Eastern Connecticut State University, requested a seed. Mo Fayyaz sent a ripe red fruit that arrived on November 2, 2001 and, as luck would have it, it contained two seeds! One seed (named 'Rhea') was planted in a year-round 55% shade greenhouse and the other (named 'Hyperion') was planted in a full sun greenhouse. The soil was Fafard #2 and the seedlings were placed on continuous feed of 20-20-20 fertilizer adjusted to deliver approximately 100 ppm nitrogen. Photoperiods were natural for Connecticut and light was unsupplemented.
Since 2001, the plant in sunny conditions, named 'Hyperion,' has thrown off some smaller corms and its plastochrons have been more rapid and with regular and longer dormant periods, so its cormels have been separated at repotting times. The plant in shaded conditions, named 'Rhea,' has produced consistently larger leaves with longer plastochrons and with very few and very short dormant intervals, making it nearly impossible to have a time to separate any cormels and to easily repot her. The plants were repotted during dormant intervals from small pots to larger ones, but then as leafy plants into 18 gallon recycling bins. When the recycling bin was being deformed by 'Rhea,' the leafy specimen was moved to a 110 gallon horse trough (with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage of course!). In Winter 2006-2007 one 'Rhea' corm produced a magnificent leaf that was about 2.5 meters tall with a blade-span of more than 4 meters! When this leaf senesced in spring, it was predicted that August 2007 would perhaps be the first flowering time for 'Rhea.' And so it has.
Naming our ECSU specimens
I have chosen the names for the two genotypes in concert with ECSU's mission as a premier state liberal arts university. The Latin binomial, Amorphophallus titanum, includes the epithet titanum. One of the common names of this species is 'Titan Arum.' In classical Greek mythology, the Titans were the twelve or thirteen children of earth ('Gaia') and sky ('Uranus'). The Titans ruled the earth until they were overthrown by Zeus and the rest of the Olympic pantheon. I decided to use Titan names for our two genotypes based on the conditions under which they have been grown to date.
The choice of Hyperion was obvious as this Titan is associated with light. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, no Titan is associated with shade or darkness. But since our shade-grown genotype was our first to flower and has three more corms ready to flower in a year or so, it has been far more prolific than Hyperion. Rhea was the prolific Titan mother of most of the Olympians, notably including Hades (god of the dark underworld). So the photographs shown on this page are of genotype, Rhea.
Thank you, Nicole Krassas and Rita Malenczyk, for meaningful discussion about the Titans of classical Greek literature.
Thinking about Rhea and her parents
In the list below you will find links to photos of the pollen (Selby) and ovule (UW) parents of Rhea, our ECSU specimen. Almost nothing is known of the inheritance of traits of these plants. As you can see in the early photos of Rhea, its spadix turned quite dark; this purple color appears to be closer to the phenotype shown in the photo of the UW maternal parent than in that of the Selby paternal parent. However, you might notice in the later pictures of Rhea that this purple color is part of what is sacrificed in the spadix to generate heat and volatilize the fragrance chemistry so that it ends up looking more like the photo of the Selby parent. So the parental photos may differ primarily on the basis of time of photography rather than some genetic component.
In a similar way, the color of the spathe in the parental and offspring photos is open to some question. Rhea's spathe is a deep red-purple color with considerable iridescence. Natural light, fluorescent light, and flash photographs alter the appearance of the spathe color considerably. So the differences in the "family photos" may be due more to lighting rather than to some inherited genetic difference.
I wondered whether Rhea would have (like UW) or lack (like Selby) the light picotee edge color on her spathe. This turns out to be rather misleading too. Rhea's spathe at opening time lacked any kind of edging, but the edge of the spathe rolled inward as time passed after peak opening. In the past-peak photos you can see the light-green outer surface was exposed around the edges looking like a picotee edge color, but in fact was just a matter of inrolling senescence! So the Selby photo might be at peak and the UW photo might be past peak, indicating the difference is perhaps more a matter of timing rather than something to do with pigmentation.
Now if you are into critical thinking, you may have observed me arguing two different arrangements of timing in the photos of the two parents. Obviously more study is needed with a lot more detailed information than is available at this time. It is illogical to be argue both ways at the same time (as far as I know now).
If you have been reading this page intently and critically you should also be able to answer these two pedagogic questions, given the choices of names for the two genotypes at ECSU: What would be the proper Greek Titan name for the specimen at the University of Wisconsin? What would be the proper corresponding Greek Titan name for the specimen at Selby Gardens in Florida?
Here is another critical thinking question: What is inappropriate about using either a Titan (god--e.g. Hyperion) or a Titanide (goddess--e.g. Rhea) name for an Amorphophallus titanum plant? Hint: the parenthetical emphasis is important as is observation of the photos shown above on this page.
Pertinent External Links
Here are some links to:
The Wisconsin Progenitor Page
The historic archive of blooming events of Amorphophallus titanum in captivity (ECSU is bloom #121 world-wide, venue #28 in US and #2 in CT)
A photo of the "mother" of ECSU's titan arum in bloom at University of Wisconsin
A photo of the "father" of ECSU's titan arum in bloom at Marie Selby Gardens. Photo courtesy of Harry Luther.
A photo of the fruits...one of which came to ECSU in 2001
A time-lapse movie of our ECSU spathe opening from about mid-day until darkness prevented further filming. Thanks so much to Lisa Curtiss who spent much time setting up the web camera, software, and interfacing issues while working in the sweltering heat of our "tropical rainforest environment."
A sibling of Rhea blooming at Lehman College, CUNY in September 2007, hopefully pollinated with Rhea's pollen. Photo credit: http://gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_09_stinkyflowr.jpg
ECSU CONTACT:
Ross Koning
Professor of Biology
koning@easternct.edu
860-465-5327
Biology Department
Eastern Connecticut State University
Willimantic, CT 06226
http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/titan2007.html
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