tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40623247879377074462024-02-07T11:38:15.502-08:00The Titan ArumAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-6130226647076184522008-04-01T23:12:00.001-07:002008-04-01T23:12:34.990-07:00Stamp from Indonesia<a name="ショクダイオオコンニャク(画像)"><img dragover="true" src="http://www.plantstamps.net/stamps/indonesia/1989_Flowers/amorphophallus_titanum_s.jpg" alt="ショクダイオオコンニャク Amorphophallus titanum" border="0" height="250" hspace="10" width="156" /></a>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-80263627329091027632008-04-01T23:09:00.000-07:002008-04-01T23:14:09.420-07:00Titan Arum in Madison<h3 class="post-title"> Take a Clothes Pin! Second Blooming "Corpse Flower" 6/28/2005 time_600pm </h3> <div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17697037@N00/22844204/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://photos17.flickr.com/22844204_8ca3f20785_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/17697037@N00/22844204/">Second Blooming "Corpse Flower" 6/28/2005 time_600pm</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/17697037@N00/">Luna Type</a>.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>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<br />� UW-Madison University Communications 608/262-0067<br />Photo by: Michael Rothbart<br />Date: 06/01 File#: color slide<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />http://marienhoftuin.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_archive.htmlAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-63866722506428067282008-04-01T23:07:00.000-07:002008-04-01T23:08:34.030-07:00Arum titan (Amorphophallus titanum)<p class="cbnbrest Style27" align="center">Le réveil du titan !<br /><br /> <table border="0" width="461"> <tbody><tr> <td height="238" width="149"><img src="http://www.cbnbrest.fr/site/images/Arum2.jpg" height="256" width="213" /></td> <td width="302"><span class="cbnbrest">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.<br /> <br />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.</span></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <table border="0" width="459"> <tbody><tr> <td width="249"><span class="cbnbrest">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).</span></td> <td width="200"><img src="http://www.cbnbrest.fr/site/images/tuber.jpg" height="176" width="236" /></td> </tr> </tbody></table><br /> <table border="0" width="456"> <tbody><tr> <td class="cbnbrest" height="297" width="246">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 !<br /> <br />Pour pousser, la plante nécessite un sol profond, fertile et humifère. Elle doit être régulièrement arrosée en période de croissance.</td> <td class="Style19" width="200"><div class="cbnbrest" align="center"><img src="http://www.cbnbrest.fr/site/images/la%20fleur_Arum.jpg" height="313" width="232" /><br /> </div></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </p><p class="cbnbrest" align="left">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.<br /> </p> <table border="0" width="457"> <tbody><tr> <td width="233"><span class="cbnbrest">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.<br /> <br /> <strong>Malheureusement,le bourgeon de notre Arum titan a encore donné une feuille cette année.</strong><br />Il faudra donc attendre au moins l'été 2009 pour avoir peut-être une fleur !</span></td> <td width="214"><img src="http://www.cbnbrest.fr/site/images/feuille_Arum.jpg" height="338" width="214" /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p class="cbnbrest" align="left"><br /> </p> <p class="Style23" align="justify"><br /> </p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-30881298676031273292008-04-01T23:04:00.000-07:002008-04-01T23:05:09.011-07:00Titan Arum in Sydney<span style="font-size:130%;"><b>A maior flor do mundo</b></span><br />e também a mais fedidinha...<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pullga2.blogger.com.br/175316-6491-ga.jpg" /><br /><b>Titan Arum</b><br /><br /><a href="http://www.fairchildgarden.org/images/at2001.gif" target="_blank">Clique pra ver uma gif legal da *fedorosa* florescendo!<br />Não postei porque é muito pesada (literalmente).</a><br /><br />Centenas de pessoas visitaram os Jardins Reais Botânicos de Sydney <br />para admirar a maior planta do mundo, a chamada *flor-cadáver*, <br />devido ao odor repulsivo. De 1,33 metro de diâmetro, esta <br />Arum Titan abriu plenamente sua coroa entre a noite <br />de quarta-feira e a quinta-feira desta semana.<br /><br />Esta é a segunda vez que a planta floresce na Austrália. A primeira <br />aconteceu há vários anos em Cairns, no nordeste do país. <br />A Amorphophallus titanum, nome científico da planta, <br />floresce duas ou três vezes durante seus <br />quarentas anos de existência. <br /><br /><i>Então é verdade quando dizem que nos menores <br />frascos estão os melhores perfumes...</i><br /><br />http://www.pullga2.blogger.com.br/2004_11_01_archive.htmlAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-72936183273415423432008-04-01T22:58:00.000-07:002008-04-01T23:03:34.789-07:00Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (Elephant Ear Titan Aroid)<img alt="The image “http://www.rareplants.de/shop/uploads/images_products_large/8265.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors." src="http://www.rareplants.de/shop/uploads/images_products_large/8265.jpg" /><br /><br />180 (300)cm, <b>Elephant Ear Titan Aroid</b> 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.<br /><br />http://www.rareplants.de/shop/product.asp?strParents=6&CAT_ID=95&P_ID=8265Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-87042651841596770222008-04-01T22:54:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:58:37.765-07:00Titan Arum in Thailand<img alt="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_01.jpg" src="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_01.jpg" /><br /><br />ดอก <b> Titan Arum</b> หรือดอกบุกยักษ์ ดอกไม้ใหญ่ที่สุดในโลก ได้บานเป็นครั้งแรกในเมืองไทยที่สวนนงนุช จังหวัดชลบุรี เมื่อวันที่ ๒๒ มิถุนายน ๒๕๔๖<br /> Titan Arum หรือ บุกยักษ์ มีถิ่นกำเนิดเพียงแห่งเดียวในโลก ในป่าดิบชื้นพื้นล่างในเกาะสุมาตราตอนกลาง มีชื่อวิทยาศาสตร์ว่า Amorphophallus titanum อยู่ในวงศ์ Araceae ชื่อวิทยาศาสตร์แปลเป็นภาษาไทยได้ความหมายว่า ต้น "ลึงค์ยักษ์แปลง" คือแปลงกายให้เหมือนลึงค์แต่ไม่ใช่ลึงค์ ทางสวนนงนุชได้นำเข้ามาจากสวนพฤกษศาสตร์โบกอร์ (Bogor the botanic garden) ประเทศอินโดนีเซีย เพื่อมาทดลองปลูกภายในสวนเมื่อห้าปีก่อน<br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Guest/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot-6.jpg" alt="" /><img alt="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_02.jpg" src="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_02.jpg" /><br /><br /><img alt="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_03.jpg" src="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_03.jpg" /><br /><br /><img alt="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_04.jpg" src="http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/images/titan_arum_04.jpg" /><br /><br />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<br /> ภายในโคนดอก ประกอบด้วยดอกเล็ก ๆ จำนวนมากอยู่ภายใน โดยดอกตัวผู้อยู่ด้านบนของดอกตัวเมีย กล่าวได้ว่าดอก Titan Arum เป็นดอกรวมขนาดใหญ่ที่สุดในโลก (ดอกเดี่ยวใหญ่ที่สุดในโลก คือดอกบัวผุด) ในเกาะสุมาตรา เคยมีดอกบุกยักษ์โตเต็มที่สูงถึง ๓ เมตร วัดความกว้าง ๒ เมตร รัฐบาลอินโดนีเซียเคยตีพิมพ์ภาพดอกบุกยักษ์บนธนบัตรประจำชาติใบละ ๕๐๐ รูปี<br /> หลังจากบุกยักษ์ออกดอกเป็นครั้งแรกแล้ว นักพฤกษศาสตร์ไม่อาจตอบได้ว่า อีกกี่ปีบุกยักษ์ต้นนั้นจึงจะออกดอกอีกครั้งหนึ่ง<br /><br />http://www.sarakadee.com/feature/2003/07/titan_arum.htmAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-72657772329656968322008-04-01T22:43:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:44:35.371-07:00Titan Arum in in Massachusetts<p class="TemplaceCDEBodyCopy"><img src="http://www.smith.edu/newssmith/fall2005/images/Img0066.jpg" height="326" width="491" /></p> <p class="yellowboxtext">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.</p><p class="yellowboxtext">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<br /></p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-15157813219370274422008-04-01T22:38:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:40:52.002-07:00Warm weather prompts Corpse Flower to bloom early<div class="post-body"> <p><a href="http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/corpseflower.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px;" alt="" src="http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/images/corpseflower.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"><strong>Earth News: London</strong></span><br /></p><div>Feb 05, 2007</div><div>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 <span style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0);">HIGHLY ABNORMAL</span> 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."<br /><br />http://earthfrenzyradio.blogspot.com/2007/02/warm-weather-prompts-corpse-flower-to.html<br /></div> </div> <div class="post-footer"> <script charset="utf-8" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Es/EarthFrenzyRadio?i=http://earthfrenzyradio.blogspot.com/2007/02/warm-weather-prompts-corpse-flower-to.html" type="text/javascript"></script></div><!-- spacer for skins that want sidebar and main to be the same height-->Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-48338226417344479152008-04-01T22:30:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:35:41.093-07:00Titan Arum in Royal Botanic Garden, Kew<img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/press_crowd.jpg" alt="crowds seeing titan arum in the Princess of Wales Conservatory" name="groundmap" id="groundmap" border="0" height="274" width="274" /> <p class="caption"> A flowering of titan arum always generates intense interest</p><br /><br /><h3> Watch it grow - November 2007 flowering</h3> <p>This titan arum opened late-afternoon on Sunday 4 November and was fully open on 5 November. </p> <p class="topnav" align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/timeline2007.html#latest" class="bodynav"><br /></a></p> <p> </p> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr align="left" valign="top"> <td> <p class="topnav">click on any image to enlarge</p> </td> <td align="right"><br /></td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071024.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071024_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 24 October 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>24 October 2007 </p> <p>This latest flower is very small in comparison with previous ones, but it is also the latest in the season that one has ever flowered at Kew.</p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071025.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071025_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 25 October 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>25 October 2007 </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071026.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071026_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 26 October 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>26 October 2007 </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071029.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071029_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 29 October 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>29 October 2007 </p> <p>In the last few days this has put on quite a growth spurt.</p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071030.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071030_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 30 October 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>30 October 2007 </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071031.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071031_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 31 October 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>31 October 2007 </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071101.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071101_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 1 November 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>1 November 2007 </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071102.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071102_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 2 November 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>2 November 2007 </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071103.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071103_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 3 November 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>3 November 2007 </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071104.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071104_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 4 November 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>4 November 2007 </p> <p>Comparing this image with previous flowerings, this looks like it will be out any day now, possibly even tomorrow, Monday - it's very hard to predict exactly, so keep checking for daily updates. </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071105.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071105_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 5 November 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>5 November 2007 </p> <p>Titan arum has flowered </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071106.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071106_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 6 November 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>6 November 2007 </p> <p>The titan arum would usually have started to close up by now, but is continuing to give a remarkable display. Pollen has been taken and sent off to the Eden Project, where they have a flower due to open within the next week. </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right"><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071108.jpg"><img src="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/images/2007/071108_sm.jpg" alt="Titan arum at Kew gardens, 8 November 2007" border="0" height="151" width="100" /></a></td> <td> <p> </p> <p>8 November 2007 </p> <p>After giving a great display the titan arum is just starting to close up and fade </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> <tr align="left" valign="top"> <td align="right" width="103"><a name="latest"></a></td> <td><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h3>Kew's recent flowerings</h3> <table class="inlinelink" align="right" background="../../yearatkew/icons/buttons/plants_ffffffmat.gif"> <tbody><tr> <td> <div class="inlinelink"><strong></strong><a href="http://www.kew.org/plants/titan/timeline2007.html"><br /></a> </div> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p>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. </p> <p><strong>1996</strong> - <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">A plant donated by Leiden University's botanic garden flowered at Kew and attracted vast crowds and intense media interest from around the world.</span> </p> <p><strong>2002/3</strong> - 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. </p> <p>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.</p> <p><strong>2005 to today</strong> - 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. </p> <p> </p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-3459961091442544012008-04-01T22:24:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:28:29.649-07:00Titan Arum Blooming Event UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, 2007<span style="color: rgb(0, 108, 0);font-family:Gill Sans MT;" > <span lang="en-us"><b>Watch it progress chronologically</b>. For the latest image, see bottom of this column or look at top of left column.</span></span><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 108, 0);font-family:Gill Sans MT;" ><span lang="en-us"><br /> </span></span></i> <span style="color: rgb(0, 108, 0);font-family:Gill Sans MT;" > <span lang="en-us"><span style="font-size:130%;">Titan Arum</span></span></span><i><span style="color: rgb(0, 108, 0);font-family:Gill Sans MT;" ><span lang="en-us">, Amorphophallus titanum<br /></span></span></i> <table id="table3" border="0" width="99%"><tbody><tr> <td rowspan="4" align="center" width="185"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/amorpho-for-web--6-18-07-pm.jpg" border="0" height="188" width="147" /></span></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" height="163"><br /></td> <td height="33" valign="top" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">18 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="128" valign="top" width="266"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" > <span lang="en-us">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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="21"><br /></td> <td height="21" width="266"> <br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" width="185"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/amorpho-june-19.jpg" border="0" height="201" width="153" /></span></td> <td><br /></td> <td height="38" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">19 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td><br /></td> <td height="68" valign="top" width="266"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" > <span lang="en-us">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!</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" width="185"> <p align="center"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/amorpho-6-20-07-for-web-pmg.jpg" align="middle" border="0" height="161" width="133" /></span></p></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="40" width="266"><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;">20</span></span><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us"> June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="97" width="266"><span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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". </span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" width="185"> <p align="center"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/amopho-for-web-june-21.jpg" align="middle" border="0" height="196" width="128" /></p></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="40" width="266"><span lang="en-us"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;">21</span></span><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us"> June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="97" width="266"><span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="22" width="185"><br /></td> <td height="22"><br /></td> <td height="22" width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <p align="center"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/amorpho%20june%2022%20with%20Jenn%20for%20web.JPG" border="0" height="217" width="114" /></p></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="35" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">22 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="167" valign="top" width="266"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" > <span lang="en-us">3 more inches today. Bella measures 42" high and 12" wide. Greenhouse horticulturist, Jennifer Alm is inspecting the progress. </span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <p align="center"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/amorpho-june-23-pmg-%288%29for-.jpg" align="middle" border="0" height="213" width="159" /></p></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="35" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us"> 23 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" > <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:10;" > Bella grew 4” today, so is now measuring 46” tall <span lang="en-us">and</span> 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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/Bella%20John%20D%206-25-07%20%2052%20in%20tlm%20IMG_0454.JPG" border="0" height="221" width="166" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="30" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;">25 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/Bella%20June%2026,%202007%20%2056%20in%20IMG_0465.JPG" border="0" height="227" width="170" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="20" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;">26 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/Bella%20Teri%20Edwards%20and%20Bella%206-27-07%2057%20inIMG_1833.JPG" border="0" height="246" width="162" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="15" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;">27 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/Bella%20with%20Buffie%20Stephens%206-28-07%2059%20in.%20IMG_0475%20smaller.JPG" border="0" height="220" width="172" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="20" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;">28 June 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="75" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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. </span> </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/Bella%20with%20Sue%20Richards%2060%27%203-29-07%20web%20size%20IMG_0478.JPG" border="0" height="228" width="173" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="20" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"> June 29, 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/Bella%20connie%20Byrne%2060%20in%206-30-07%20web%20size%20%20IMG_0479.JPG" border="0" height="228" width="174" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="20" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" > June 30, 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" valign="top" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/bella-july-1-gary-for-web.jpg" border="0" height="213" width="168" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="35" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">July 1, 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <p align="left"><span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >The day has come -- B</span></span><span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" ><span lang="en-us">ella, the Titan Arum began opening early this morning - around 5 am!<br /> Come visit today to experience the smell from <u>8am - 8pm </u>(Sunday only). Gary O'Brien examines the flower before taking its portrait.</span></span></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="center" width="185"> <p align="center"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/Suzanne%20with%20Bella.JPG" border="0" height="185" width="180" /></p></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="35" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">July 2, 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/bella%20july%203%20with%20Dr.%20M%20for%20web.JPG" border="0" height="252" width="187" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="44" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">July 3, 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" > <span lang="en-us">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.</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" width="185"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/bella%20july%204%20alt%20image%20for%20web.JPG" border="0" height="214" width="177" /></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="44" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">July 4, 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" > <span lang="en-us">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!</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2" width="185"> <p align="center"> <img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/bella%20july%205%20%20for%20web%20pmg.JPG" align="middle" border="0" height="176" width="218" /></p></td> <td rowspan="2"><br /></td> <td height="44" width="266"> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;"><span lang="en-us">July 5, 2007</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="115" valign="top" width="266"> <span lang="en-us"> <span style=";font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:85%;" >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!</span></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="185"><br /></td> <td><br /></td> <td width="266"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"> <span style="color:#006c00;"><b>Where does the Titan Arum come from? </b></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /> The Titan Arum grows in the moist, shady jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia. <br /> <br /> </span> <b><span style="color:#006c00;">What a weird-looking flower – is it really the largest flower in the world? </span></b> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /> The Titan Arum produces the largest unbranched, inflorescence in the world<span lang="en-us">. The largest of these</span> recorded in cultivation was over 9.5 ft tall! An inflorescence is a structure containing multiple flowers. <span lang="en-us">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".<br /> 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. </span><br /> <br /> </span> <b><span style="color:#006c00;">Does it really smell that bad?<span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size:85%;"> <br /> Yes, but not for long! The plant produces waves of odor that have been variously described as smelling of rotting <span lang="en-us">animal</span>, 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 <span lang="en-us">half-</span>mile attracting specific pollinators. Scientists have observed carrion beetles, carrion flies, and sweat bees visiting the Titan Arum in Sumatra. <b><span style="color:#006c00;"><br /> <br /> </span></b> </span><b><span style="color:#006c00;">How old is <span lang="en-us">your Titan</span>?</span></b> <span style="font-size:85%;"> <br /> Our titan arum, “Bella” is <span lang="en-us">fairly </span>young to be blooming – it is only about <span lang="en-us">8</span> years old. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: Gill Sans MT;" lang="en-us"> <span style="color:#006c00;"><b>Will it flower again?<br /> </b></span></span> <span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"> <span style="font-size:85%;">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 <span lang="en-us">3</span>-6 times in a 40-yr life span. Plants in cultivation normally don’t live that long.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"> <b><span style="color:#006c00;">Where did you get “Bella”, your Titan Arum plant? </span></b> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /> We got ours as a small tuber from Tony Avent, of Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh.<span lang="en-us"> Tony is a fan of many plants in the same genus as the Titan Arum. Some species of <i>Amorphophallus</i> 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.</span><b><span style="color:#006c00;"><br /> </span></b><span style="color:#006c00;"><b><br /> </b></span></span><span style="color:#006c00;"><b>Why did you name her Bella? … Is it really a “she”? </b></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /> First off, Bella is actually an “it”, since the “flower” is both male and female. <span lang="en-us"> Akin to naming a child, we decided</span> on<span lang="en-us"> "Bella"</span> for a couple of reasons<span lang="en-us">. <i>Bella</i> </span>is Latin for <i>beautiful</i><span lang="en-us"><i>,</i> </span>and we are so proud of this flower that, despite its smell, we can only think of it as wonderfully beautiful. <span lang="en-us">Additionally, th</span>e shape of the spathe surrounding the spike is that of an inverted Bell. <b><span style="color:#006c00;"><br /> <span lang="en-us"><br /> </span></span></b></span><b><span style="color:#006c00;"> <span lang="en-us">Is</span> it rare?</span></b> <span style="font-size:85%;"> <br /> 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.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"> <b><span style="color:#006c00;">Wh<span lang="en-us">ere are the stems and leaves of this plant?</span> </span></b> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /> <span lang="en-us">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! <br /> 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</span> “flower” will wither and collapse, but the <span lang="en-us">corm</span> below ground will remain<span lang="en-us">. After</span> 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, <span lang="en-us">lacy</span> 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 <span lang="en-us">turns yellow and die</span>s. Then the plant must go through a period of rest (dormancy) – during this time is exists only as the underground <span lang="en-us">corm</span>. </span></span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Gill Sans MT";"> <span style="color:#006c00;"><b>Where can I find out more about the Titan Arum?</b></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> <br /> 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”.<span lang="en-us"> </span></span></span></p><span lang="en-us"><b><span style="font-family:Freestyle Script;font-size:180%;color:#cc0099;">Bella bloomed in the early morning of July 1, 2007. </span></b> <span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;font-size:180%;color:#cc0099;"><br /> </span><span style="font-family:Gill Sans MT;color:#cc0000;"> <br /></span><span style="font-size: 20pt;font-family:Gill Sans MT;color:#cc0000;" ><img src="http://gardens.uncc.edu/images/x-Bella/bella%20july%201%20by%20herself%20for%20web.jpg" border="0" height="182" width="162" /></span></span><br />http://gardens.uncc.edu/Titan%20Arum.htmAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-43191040151665668742008-04-01T21:54:00.000-07:002008-04-01T22:06:58.879-07:00Titan Arum in Eastern Connecticut State UniversityAmorphophallus titanum 'Rhea'<br />Titan Arum or Corpse Flower<br /><br />Blooming: August, 2007<br /><br />A brief history of our ECSU specimens and other information can be found below the photographs.<br /><br />August 20, 2007 1 PM<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.20.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.20.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/20/07" /></a><br /><br />August 21, 2007 2 PM<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.20.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.20.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/20/07" /></a> <br /><br />August 21, 2007 2 PM<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.21.07.2PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.21.07.2PM.jpg" alt="8/21/07" /></a><br /><br />August 23, 2007 12 Noon<br />Spadix 116 cm, apex 122 cm above soil<br />Spadix 31° C, Petiole 31° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.21.07.2PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.21.07.2PM.jpg" alt="8/21/07" /></a><br />August 22, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix 103 cm, apex 109 cm above soil<br />Spadix 27-28° C, Petiole 28° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.22.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.22.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/22/07" /></a><br /><br />August 23, 2007 12 Noon<br />Spadix 116 cm, apex 122 cm above soil<br />Spadix 31° C, Petiole 31° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.23.07.12N.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.23.07.12N.jpg" alt="8/23/07" /></a><br /><br />August 24, 2007 12 Noon<br />Spadix 130 cm, apex 136 cm above soil<br />Spadix 34° C, Petiole 34° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.24.07.12N.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.24.07.12N.jpg" alt="8/24/07" /></a><br /><br />August 25, 2007 12 Noon<br />Spadix 137 cm, apex 142 cm above soil<br />Spadix 34° C, Petiole 34° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.25.07.12N.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.25.07.12N.jpg" alt="8/25/07" /></a><br /><br />August 26, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix 148 cm, apex 154 cm above soil<br />Spadix 31° C, Petiole 31° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.26.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.26.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/26/07" /></a><br /><br />August 27, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix 155 cm, apex 161 cm above soil<br />Spadix 29° C, Petiole 30° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.27.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.27.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/27/07" /></a><br /><br />August 28, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix 161 cm, apex 167 cm above soil<br />Spadix 35° C, Petiole 35° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.28.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.28.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/28/07" /></a><br /><br />August 29, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix 167 cm, apex 171 cm above soil<br />Spadix 34° C, Petiole 34° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.29.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.29.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/29/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix 171 cm, apex 173 cm above soil<br />Spadix 36° C, Petiole 36° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.30.07.1PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.30.07.1PM.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 5:30 PM<br />No fragrance<br />Spadix 32° C, Petiole 32° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.30.07.530PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.30.07.530PM.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 6:30 PM<br />Weak "sauerkraut" smell<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.30.07.630PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.30.07.630PM.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 7:30 PM<br />Intense "sauerkraut" smell<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.30.07.730PM.html"><img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.30.07.730PM.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 8:30 PM<br />Intense "sauerkraut" smell extending<br />into stairs to parking lot!<br />Spadix tip: 29° C<br />Spadix subapical: 33° C<br />Spadix mid: 26° C<br />Spadix color-change: 29° C<br />Spadix base: 26° C<br />Male flowers: 25° C<br />Female flowers: 24° C<br />Petiole 27° C<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.30.07.830PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.30.07.830PM.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 9:30 PM<br />Intense "sauerkraut" smell extending into stairs to parking lot!<br />Nauseating inside greenhouse...and needing a shower before bed!<br />By 10:30 PM fragrance easily noted in the Shafer/Burr breezeway<br />Spadix: most of its length is 30° C...except base<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.30.07.930PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.30.07.930PM.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />August 31, 2007 7:00 AM<br />Intense smell abated considerably at perhaps 10% of maximum!<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.31.07.7AM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.31.07.7AM.jpg" alt="8/31/07" /></a><br /><br />August 31, 2007 9:00 AM<br />Fragrance further abated perhaps 5% of maximum!<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.31.07.9AM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.31.07.9AM.jpg" alt="8/31/07" /></a><br /><br />August 31, 2007 12 Noon<br />Fragrance further diminished!<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.31.07.12N.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.31.07.12N.jpg" alt="8/31/07" /></a><br /><br />August 31, 2007 3 PM<br />Fragrance very faint...nearly gone<br />Male flowers still undehisced<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/8.31.07.3PM.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/8.31.07.3PM.jpg" alt="8/31/07" /></a><br /><br />September 1, 2007 12 Noon<br />Fragrance essentially gone<br />Silicone camera skin has more of it than the inflorescence!<br />Spadix: 171 cm long, Spadix 26° C., Petiole 31° C.<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/9.1.07.12N.html"><img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/9.1.07.12N.jpg" alt="9/1/07" /></a><br /><br />September 2, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix collapsing at tip<br />Fresh pollen collected and refrigerated for Lehman College<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/9.2.07.1PM.html"><img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/9.2.07.1PM.jpg" alt="9/2/07" /></a><br /><br />September 3, 2007 1 PM<br />Spadix collapsing in middle<br />Accumulated pollen collected for Lehman College<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/9.3.07.2PM.html"><img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/9.3.07.2PM.jpg" alt="9/3/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 8:30 PM<br />Closer view of base of spadix with flowers below<br />and surrounded by deep purple and slightly irridescent spathe<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/spadixbase.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/spadixbase.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />August 30, 2007 8:30 PM<br />Yet closer view of base of spadix with flowers<br />Male flowers are white and above purple female flowers<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/flowers.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/flowers.jpg" alt="8/30/07" /></a><br /><br />September 1, 2007 12 Noon<br />Male flowers shedding sticky yellow pollen downward over<br />Purple styles and buff stigmas of female flowers<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/pollenshed.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/pollenshed.jpg" alt="9/1/07" /></a><br /><br />September 3, 2007 2 PM<br />Spathe cut away<br />Fallen pollen collected for Lehman College<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/spadixdown.9.3.07.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/spadixdown.9.3.07.jpg" alt="9/3/07" /></a><br /><br />September 3, 2007 2 PM<br />Individual male (above) and female (below) flowers<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/full/flowers.9.3.07.html"> <img src="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/small/flowers.9.3.07.jpg" alt="9/3/07" /></a><br /><br /><h2 class="center"> A brief history of the ECSU <i>Amorphophallus titanum</i> specimens </h2> <p class="in"> In 1993 the late Dr. James R. Symon found an <i>Amorphophallus titanum</i> plant in fruit while he was filming episodes for the BBC video, <i>The Private Life of Plants</i>. Upon returning to the US from the plant's native home of Sumatra, he shared seeds from this one plant with conservatories and universities. </p> <p class="in">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. </p> <p class="in">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. </p> <p class="in">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. </p> <h2 class="center"> Naming our ECSU specimens </h2> <p class="in">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, <i>Amorphophallus titanum</i>, includes the epithet <i>titanum</i>. 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. </p> <p class="in">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. </p> <p class="in"> Thank you, Nicole Krassas and Rita Malenczyk, for meaningful discussion about the Titans of classical Greek literature. </p> <h2 class="center"> Thinking about Rhea and her parents </h2> <p class="in">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. </p> <p class="in">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. </p> <p class="in">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. </p> <p class="in">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). </p> <p class="in">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? </p> <p class="in">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 <i>Amorphophallus titanum</i> plant? Hint: the parenthetical emphasis is important as is observation of the photos shown above on this page. </p> <h2 class="center"> Pertinent External Links </h2> <p class="in"> Here are some links to:<br /><a href="http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/Titan_Arum_Archive/index.html">The Wisconsin Progenitor Page</a><br /><a href="http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/Titan_Arum_Archive/Archive_images/List_of_Data.html#anchor240070">The historic archive of blooming events of <i>Amorphophallus titanum</i> in captivity</a> (ECSU is bloom #121 world-wide, venue #28 in US and #2 in CT)<br /><a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/titanarum2001/index.html">A photo of the "mother" of ECSU's titan arum in bloom at University of Wisconsin</a><br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/selby.2001.jpg">A photo of the "father" of ECSU's titan arum in bloom at Marie Selby Gardens</a>. Photo courtesy of Harry Luther.<br /><a href="http://www.news.wisc.edu/titanarum2001/mature_fruit.html">A photo of the fruits...one of which came to ECSU in 2001</a><br /><a href="http://e-stsvr.easternct.edu/mediaserv/Koning/CorpseFlowerTimeLapse.wmv">A time-lapse movie of our ECSU spathe opening</a> 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."<br /><a href="http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/lehman.2007.jpg">A sibling of Rhea blooming at Lehman College, CUNY in September 2007</a>, hopefully pollinated with Rhea's pollen. Photo credit: http://gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_09_stinkyflowr.jpg </p> <p class="center"> ECSU CONTACT:<br />Ross Koning<br />Professor of Biology<br />koning@easternct.edu<br />860-465-5327<br />Biology Department<br />Eastern Connecticut State University<br />Willimantic, CT 06226 </p> <p style="clear: both;"> http://plantphys.info/greenhouse/titan2007.html</p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-72270882961474186342008-04-01T21:50:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:53:51.674-07:00Collector’s Corner<p align="justify"><b><i> <span style="line-height: 98%;font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10;" >Amorphophallus titanum ‘Titan Arum’ </span> </i></b> <span style="line-height: 98%;font-family:Tahoma;font-size:10;" > or<b><i> ‘Corpse Flower’.</i></b> This giant aroid from Sumatra can reach 20ft tall with its single, umbrella-like leaf, and its bloom is classed as the largest un-branched inflorescence in the word at over 9ft tall. The morbid <i> ‘Corpse Flower’</i> name comes from the smell of rotting flesh and the color of spoiled meat associated with the bloom, pollinated by flies and beetles in its habitat. In cultivation it has been rare and never fails to be newsworthy when one blooms. Only a few private collections and botanical gardens had this giant in their collections due to its former rarity.<br /><b><br /></b></span></p> <img src="http://www.tropiflora.com/creport/cr17-1/6398-2.jpg" align="centre" border="0" height="284" width="215" /><br /><br />http://www.tropiflora.com/creport/cr17-1/p6.htmlAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-18558596656382846672008-04-01T21:48:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:49:59.184-07:00Stinky Flowers<p> </p><img src="http://www.tmatos.com/TitanArumLily.jpg" /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The titan arum lily (Amorphophallus titanium) originates from Sumatra, and stands at 6.9 ft high. The plant flowers for only two days before collapsing. The blood-red flower is renowned for its hideous smell, which is said to be a cross between burnt sugar and rotting flesh.<br /><br />http://www.tmatos.com/2005_04_01_tmatos_archive.html<br /></span>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-24724580732749917552008-04-01T21:46:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:48:32.649-07:00Titan Arum Flowers In Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens<div class="imageDetail"> <div id="ctrlResultsview_compView_divCompImage" class="compImageFrame"> <img id="ctrlResultsview_compView_imgComp" class="compImage" onmousedown="PreventClick(event)" onmousemove="MoveTooltip('__imageTooltip')" onmouseover="ShowTooltip('__imageTooltip', this.attributes['_vicaption'].value)" onmouseout="HideTooltip('__imageTooltip')" _vicaption="SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 03: A visitor takes a closer look at the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum), also known as the Corpse Flower, which is on display at the Tropical Centre in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia. The Titan Arum has the largest - and possibly the smelliest - flower in the world. The Botanic Gardens Trust is collaborating with the Indonesian Botanic Gardens to cultivate the species which is endangered in its natural habitat. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) (#72370036)" src="http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/72370036.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193CC300C081D9F47006CD8163F55D1C66BB85FDB81E9E7BE44A55A1E4F32AD3138" style="border-width: 0px;" /> </div> <div style="visibility: hidden; top: 300px; left: 11px;" class="tooltip" id="__imageTooltip">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 03: A visitor takes a closer look at the Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum), also known as the Corpse Flower, which is on display at the Tropical Centre in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia. The Titan Arum has the largest - and possibly the smelliest - flower in the world. The Botanic Gardens Trust is collaborating with the Indonesian Botanic Gardens to cultivate the species which is endangered in its natural habitat. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) (#72370036)</div> <div class="compInfo"> <table border="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="infoCol1"><span id="ctrlResultsview_compView_lblLocationAndDate" class="infoText important">SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - 03 Nov 2006</span></td> <td class="infoCol2"><br /></td> <td class="infoCol3"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="infoCell infoText"><span id="ctrlResultsview_compView_lblWho" class="infoText">Titan Arum Flowers In Sydney's Royal Botanical Gardens</span><br /><span id="ctrlResultsview_compView_lblCredit" class="infoText">(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)</span><br /><div style="visibility: hidden; display: none;"><span id="ctrlResultsview_compView_lblKeywords">Taking, Display, Root Vegetable, Australia, Sydney, Botanical Garden, Visit, Titan Arum, Closer, Human Interest, Look, Corpse Flower, Tropical Centre, 72330507</span></div></td> <td class="infoCell infoText"><br /></td> <td class="infoCell infoText"><br /></td> </tr> <tr><td class="infoText" style="padding: 8px 0pt 0pt;" colspan="3"><i><br /></i></td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> </div><br />http://www.viewimages.com/Search.aspx?mid=72370036&epmid=1&partner=GoogleAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-86112411810457451932008-04-01T21:40:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:43:40.136-07:00Titan Arum in Charlotte<div class="lhcl_photobox"><div><div style="overflow: hidden; position: relative; min-width: 512px; height: 380px;"><img src="http://lh4.google.com/tpberego/RtsH0qP6qBI/AAAAAAAACa8/JfepNxmFdZM/P1130400.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512" style="position: absolute; width: 512px; height: 380px; left: 97px; top: 0px;" /></div></div><div class="lhcl_caption"><b>University of NC in Charlotte Titan Arum (60 inches), July 3 2007<br /><br /></b><div class="lhcl_photobox"><div><div style="overflow: hidden; position: relative; min-width: 512px; height: 512px;"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/tpberego/RtsH0KP6p-I/AAAAAAAACak/xz1aBd5DWhQ/P1130396.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512" style="position: absolute; width: 368px; height: 512px; left: 169px; top: 0px;" /></div></div><div class="lhcl_caption"><b>The Titan Arum is the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world<br /><br /></b><div><div dragover="true" style="overflow: hidden; position: relative; min-width: 512px; height: 512px;"><img dragover="true" src="http://lh4.google.com/tpberego/RtsH0qP6qCI/AAAAAAAACbE/Y0LufoQl4CA/P1130403.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512" style="position: absolute; width: 504px; height: 512px; left: 101px; top: 0px;" /></div></div><br /></div></div><br /><div><div style="overflow: hidden; position: relative; min-width: 512px; height: 432px;"><img src="http://lh3.google.com/tpberego/RtsH0aP6p_I/AAAAAAAACas/CKKVkM4yoV0/P1130397.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512" style="position: absolute; width: 512px; height: 432px; left: 97px; top: 0px;" /><br /><br /></div></div><br /><div><div dragover="true" style="overflow: hidden; position: relative; min-width: 512px; height: 400px;"><img dragover="true" src="http://lh3.google.com/tpberego/RtsH0aP6qAI/AAAAAAAACa0/LCebNX9Qb_w/P1130399.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512" style="position: absolute; width: 512px; height: 400px; left: 97px; top: 0px;" /></div></div><br /><div><div style="overflow: hidden; position: relative; min-width: 512px; height: 456px;"><img src="http://lh6.google.com/tpberego/RtsIdKP6qEI/AAAAAAAACbU/tCH7cq85AWA/P1130409.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512" style="position: absolute; width: 512px; height: 456px; left: 97px; top: 0px;" /><br /><br /></div></div><br /><div><div dragover="true" style="overflow: hidden; position: relative; min-width: 512px; height: 384px;"><img dragover="true" src="http://lh5.google.com/tpberego/RtsIc6P6qDI/AAAAAAAACbM/P5p9OZdn0gs/P1130407.JPG.jpg?imgmax=512" style="position: absolute; width: 512px; height: 384px; left: 97px; top: 0px;" /></div></div><br />http://picasaweb.google.com/tpberego/UNCCTitanArumAndMcMillanGreenhouse732007/photo#5105683895319963698<br /></div></div>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-49548863907490516142008-04-01T21:37:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:38:18.732-07:00world’s largest flower?<h3 class="entrytitle" id="post-18"><a href="http://scripts.mit.edu/%7Ezong/wpress/?p=18" rel="bookmark"> </a> </h3> <div class="comments_link"> </div> <div class="entrybody"> <p><img src="http://scripts.mit.edu/%7Ezong/wpress/wp-content/uploads/images/titan_arum_wideweb__470x3112.jpg" alt="http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/11/02/titan_arum_wideweb__470x311,2.jpg" /></p> <p>The titan arum “flower.” Among its properties:</p> <ul><li>It’s big - up to 3 meters. The plant itself can be even larger.</li><li>It rarely flowers. Its root takes years to store up enough energy, apparently.</li><li>It attracts flies, so it smells like rotten meat. (It’s not carnivorous.)</li><li>Its real name is <em>Amorphophallus titanum</em> (I’m not making this up.)</li></ul> <p>So this thing has been on display at the Australian Royal Botanic Gardens, and one just flowered today, I guess. The one in the middle is what I am referring to. The one on the left is about to flower. The one in the back with leaves is in “growth” mode. I put “flower” in quotes because it’s not really one flower. The stalk and wrap are just appendages. The actual multiple flower<strong>s</strong> are all on the stalk, and there are two kinds, male and female, which mature at different times to prevent self-pollination.</p> <p>An Australian paper <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/science/blooming-miracle/2006/11/02/1162339965565.html">had this to say</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>A native of central Sumatra’s rainforests, the rarely seen flower is said to be the world’s largest flower, standing more than a metre tall.</p> <p>On the few occasions one does bloom, it produces the stench of rotting flesh, giving rise to its other common name, the carcass flower.</p> <p>The plant’s powerful pong is matched by its equally unappealing scientific name. Amorphophallus titanum, explained Steve Bartlett, a senior horticulturist at the gardens, “means huge deformed —</p></blockquote> <p>— Okay, Steve, let’s cut you off there, </p> <blockquote><p>The last time a titan arum flowered in the gardens, in October 2004, 16,000 people queued for a look. It was only the second time one had opened in Australia, and one of the few times in the world, outside Indonesia.</p> <p>That plant was grown from seed collected in Sumatra in the early 1990s. Sydney horticulturalists later took cuttings, successfully producing two new plants</p> <p>“It was originally thought they couldn’t be grown from cuttings,” said Mr Bartlett, also responsible for plant propagation at the gardens. To his delight, both new plants produced buds.</p></blockquote> <p>It turns out one reason people grow these (besides the novelty) is because they are endangered. And they are endangered because, well let’s see, they waste their time growing a huge root so they can occasionally grow a huge stalk; they try to get insects to pollinate them by deceit instead of mutual benefit; a decade may pass without flowering, and then, when they do flower, they don’t self-pollinate, so they may not ever produce seeds for a new plant unless there are several of them nearby. Clearly, these things are badly evolved. Just like panda bears. Terrible.</p><p>http://scripts.mit.edu/~zong/wpress/?p=18<br /></p></div>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-13877121388155564292008-04-01T21:30:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:32:03.267-07:00The Return of the Titan (United State Botanic garden)<div class="CS_Element_Textblock"> <span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />In June 2007, a titan arum plant belonging to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, began to bud. On June 25, the 57-inch tall plant was brought to the U.S. Botanic Garden for display because our Conservatory provides an opportunity for the public to see the plant. Staff and visitors alike speculated as to when this titan arum would be in full bloom and when the “corpse-like” smell it emits would become apparent. The spadix had grown one foot - to 69" - by June 30, and the dramatic blooming process commenced late that afternoon with the unfurling of the spathe and the emission of the rotting meat odor. The bloom was fully open by early the next morning, July 1. Within 24 hours, the spathe closed up again and blooming had ceased. </span><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Additional information: This gigantic plant, </span></span><i><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Amorphophallus titanum </span></span></i><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(commonly known as “titan arum”), is a true wonder of </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Nature. The renown of the titan arum comes from its great size -- it is reputed to have the largest known </span><span style="font-size:85%;">un-branched inflorescence (“flower structure”). The plant is native only to the tropical rainforests of </span><span style="font-size:85%;">Sumatra, Indonesia. The titan arum emerges from, and stores energy in, a huge underground stem called </span><span style="font-size:85%;">a “corm.” The plant blooms on an unpredictable schedule, when sufficient energy is accumulated, </span><span style="font-size:85%;">usually after several years. The developing inflorescence initially appears as a pale green, bud-shaped </span><span style="font-size:85%;">structure composed of a “spathe” enclosing a central spike-like “spadix.” At first hidden inside the </span><span style="font-size:85%;">spathe, the spadix is revealed as the entire structure swells. At full bloom, the spathe is fully unfurled to </span><span style="font-size:85%;">reveal a crimson interior. The ultimate height of the spadix depends on the energy accumulated in the </span><span style="font-size:85%;">corm, and the speed of the development depends on day and night temperatures. The average recorded </span><span style="font-size:85%;">height of an inflorescence is about 5 feet, and the largest one in cultivation was 9 feet, 2 inches. In their </span><span style="font-size:85%;">natural habitat, titan arums can grow up to 12 feet tall!</span></span></p><p><pface="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2" font="font"></pface="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"></p></span> </div> <div style="font-size: small; line-height: 1;"> </div> <div class="CS_Element_Image"> <div align="left"> <div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: 700;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo Chronology of the Bloom</span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><div align="left"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"><img src="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/titan_progression_photos.jpg" alt="Titan Arum Blooms" title="Titan Arum Blooms" border="0" height="285" width="700" /></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><div style="font-size: small; line-height: 1;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><div class="CS_Element_Textblock"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong><span style="font-size:85%;">Related Photos (Click for Hi-Res Version):</span></strong><br /><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><div style="font-size: small; line-height: 1;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><div class="CS_Element_ImageGrid"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> <table class="clsControlBorder" summary="" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td style="text-align: left;" valign="top" width="100%"> <div align="left"> <a href="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5634.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onmouseout=" setStatbar(''); return true;" onmouseover=" setStatbar('/gardens/images/IMG_5634.JPG'); return true;"><img src="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5634thumbnail_250px.jpg" style="border-width: 2px; margin: 5px;" alt="Close-up image of titan arum bud" title="Close-up image of titan arum bud" align="top" border="2" height="375" width="250" /></a> <a href="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5675.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onmouseout=" setStatbar(''); return true;" onmouseover=" setStatbar('/gardens/images/IMG_5675.JPG'); return true;"><img src="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5675thumbnail_250px.jpg" style="border-width: 2px; margin: 5px;" alt="titan arum in bloom" title="titan arum in bloom" align="top" border="2" height="375" width="250" /></a> <a href="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5624.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onmouseout=" setStatbar(''); return true;" onmouseover=" setStatbar('/gardens/images/IMG_5624.JPG'); return true;"><img src="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5624thumbnail_250px.jpg" style="border-width: 2px; margin: 5px;" alt="Visitors view the mighty titan" title="Visitors view the mighty titan" align="top" border="2" height="167" width="250" /></a> <a href="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5676.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;" onmouseout=" setStatbar(''); return true;" onmouseover=" setStatbar('/gardens/images/IMG_5676.JPG'); return true;"><img src="http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/images/IMG_5676thumb250px_1.jpg" style="border-width: 2px; margin: 5px;" alt="titan blooms" title="titan blooms" align="top" border="2" height="166" width="250" /></a> </div></td></tr></tbody></table> </span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><div style="font-size: small; line-height: 1;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b></div><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><hr title="" align="left" noshade="noshade" style="font-size:78%;color:#000000;"><p align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><strong>Growth Chart for the Titan Arum</strong></span><br /></p><table class="undefined" summary="" background="" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td><p align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> <strong><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Date/Time</span></strong></span></span></p></td><td><p align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana,geneva,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><strong> Height</strong></span></p></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 6-25-07 8am</span></td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 57"</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 6-26-07 8am</span></td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 60"</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 6-26-07 6pm</span></td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 62 3/4"</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 6-27-07 8am</span></td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 64 1/2"</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 6-27-07 4pm</span></td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 65 1/4"</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 6-28-07 8am</span></td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 67" (37" Girth)</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 6-29-07 8am</span></td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 68 1/2"</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 6-30-07 8am</span></span> </td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> 69"</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span> </td><td><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></span></b><br /><br />http://www.usbg.gov/gardens/Titan-Arum-Blooms-2007.cfmAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-18305313478690241882008-04-01T21:21:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:28:10.796-07:00Titan Arum in Cambridge<table><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/images/PA309665e.jpg" alt="London, England: Kew Gardens: Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) seeds ripening" height="800" width="600" /> </td> <td><br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> Description: London, England: Kew Gardens: Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) seeds ripening</p><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/images/P90216084.jpg" alt="Cambridge, England: Botanic Garden: Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) (midnight)" height="800" width="600" /> </td> <td> <br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> Description: Cambridge, England: Botanic Garden: Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) (midnight)</p><table><tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/images/P90316099.jpg" alt="Cambridge, England: Botanic Garden: Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) (morning)" height="800" width="600" /> </td> <td> <br /></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p> Description: Cambridge, England: Botanic Garden: Titan Arum (Amorphophallus titanum) (morning) </p><p> </p><p>http://www.cambridge2000.com/gallery/html/PA309665e.html<br /></p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-64594669620751762392008-04-01T21:08:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:09:28.203-07:00Titan Arum in University 0f California<h3>June 6, 2003</h3> <h2>Giant, stinky flower, 'Ted,' set to bloom</h2> <p class="msmallcopy"><i>By Andy Fell</i></p> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="5"> <tbody><tr> <td><img src="http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/graphics/spacer.gif" alt=" " height="10" width="5" /></td> <td><img src="http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/photos_images/dateline_images/060603/corpseflower.jpg" alt="photo of Gary Chan, left, and Ernesto Sandoval of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory preparing to move the plant Ted the Titan" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td><img src="http://www.dateline.ucdavis.edu/graphics/spacer.gif" alt=" " height="5" width="5" /></td> <td class="xsmallcopy"> Gary Chan, left, and Ernesto Sandoval of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory prepare to move Ted the Titan. </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <!-- End [If: (Field: 'full_image_file') != ''] --> <!-- End [If: Found_Count != 0] --> <p>A rare and unusual plant is about to bloom at UC Davis; but at 6 feet tall with a scent of rotting meat, it likely won't be featured in anyone's wedding bouquet. </p> <p>Amorphophallus titanum, also called Titan Arum or "corpse flower" because of its smell, is native to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. This particular specimen was grown from seed at the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory, and conservatory staff have nicknamed it "Ted the Titan." </p> <p>Ted is 8 years old and this will be its first bloom. The plant's bud first poked through the soil around May 15 and now stands just above 3 feet tall. It looks like a small, green-speckled missile with a skirt. </p> <p>When the bloom opens, probably sometime after June 10, it will unfurl a ribbed, frilly petal-like structure known as a spathe, green on the outside and reddish-purple on the inside, around the base of a long conical structure, the spadix, 5 or 6 feet tall. The giant flower-like structure, which bears many small flowers at its base, will last for only about a day and a half before collapsing. </p> <p>Titan Arum gives off its scent, which has been compared to rotting fish, bad eggs or a dead elephant, for about eight hours after the flower begins to open. </p> <p>The stink is produced when the plant converts starch stored in the underground stem into chemical energy, which heats up volatile oils inside the flower and sends them wafting on surrounding air currents. The smell attracts flies and carrion-eating insects that pollinate the plant, said conservatory curator Ernesto Sandoval. </p> <p>"Flies will go a long way for dead meat," he said. </p> <p>The plants take up to 10 years to produce a flower and rarely bloom in cultivation. </p> <p>Amorphophallus spends most of its life as an underground stem called a corm. Once a year, the plant puts out a single green leaf that lasts about six months. Eventually, it puts out a flower shoot instead, hoping to attract flies carrying pollen from another of its kind. After all that excitement, it goes back to one leaf a year, but may flower again after a few years' recuperation. </p> <p>Other recent flowerings of Amorphophallus plants have been "Tiffy" at California State University, Fullerton; "Mr. Stinky" at the Fairchild Tropical Garden in Coral Gables, Fla.; and an unnamed plant in Bonn, Germany. The German flower set a new world record with a height of nearly 9 feet. The flowers have attracted big crowds of curious, if somewhat nauseated, visitors.</p> <p>Ted the Titan will be on display to the public on campus daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting on June 11 and continuing until the bloom collapses. Its bloom status, location and parking recommendations will be reported online at http://greenhouse.ucdavis. edu/conservatory.htm. </p> <p>The botanical conservatory serves the university and public communities as an educational facility, research resource and genetic diversity preserve. It houses more than 3,000 plant species in more than 150 families, including examples from most of the world's climatic regions.</p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-16350782534881731142008-04-01T21:00:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:03:38.638-07:00Titan Arum in Quail Botanical Gardens, San Diego<div class="pageheader">Quail Botanical Gardens Displays Giant "Corpse Flower" Plant <em>Amorphophallus titanum</em></div> <p class="submenu" align="center"> <em> <strong> Bloomed October 6, 2004</strong></em></p> <p> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td> <table class="box" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"><img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/cwgiantcorpse.jpg" alt="Gala 2004" border="1" height="300" width="200" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <em class="smalltext">Amorphophallus</em><span class="smalltext"> in full bloom at Quail, July 15, 2002.</span><em class="smalltext"> Photo courtesy of Claire Ehrlinger. </em> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> San Diego, CA, September 23, 2004— It's big, it's bad and it's back. Quail Botanical Gardens (QBG) announced today the return of the <strong>Corpse Flower </strong>, the enormous, rare and very smelly <em>Amorphophallus titanum </em>, or titan arum, considered by some the superstar of the plant kingdom. It's on display now in Quail's Bamboo garden. </p><p>Click here for <a href="http://www.qbgardens.org/gardens/directions.shtml">Directions</a>, <a href="http://www.qbgardens.org/gardens/admission.shtml">Hours</a>, and <a href="http://www.qbgardens.org/gardens/admission.shtml">Admission </a><br />Click here for <a href="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/09232004_growth.shtml">Daily Growth Records</a>. </p> <p> Two years ago Jim Booman, of local <strong><a href="http://www.plantsforkids.com/" target="_blank">Plants for Kids</a></strong>, a renowned grower of rare and carnivorous plants, loaned Quail Botanical Gardens an <em>Amorphophallus titanum </em>, or Corpse Flower plant, and this year its sister plant is making its debut. Native to Indonesia, the plant rarely blooms in its 40-year life span, and not often in cultivation. For about eight hours during its blooming cycle it emits an odor likened to "rotten eggs or road kill" to attract pollinating, carrion-eating beetles, hence the name <strong>Corpse Flower</strong>. </p> <p>"It is always a thrill to have such a rare and exotic visitor to the Gardens," commented Julian Duval, QBG Executive Director. "The titan arum is truly one of the wonders of nature, and we're very fortunate to be able to display it to the public," added Duval. "But the plant is unpredictable and opens quickly and doesn't last long. Either call the Gardens (760-436-3036 x206) or check its progress on the web site (http://www.qbgardens.org) to make sure you see—and smell— it in its full glory," said Duval. The Corpse Flower will be displayed in the Bamboo Garden during its visit. </p> <p>The plant begins as a large tuber. It then sends up a solitary pointed shoot that can grow at the rate of six inches a day, sometimes reaching 12 feet in height. Not a lot is known about the plant as it is difficult to find in the wild, especially flowering. The Corpse Flower plant has only been seen in bloom about 20 times since it was first displayed in New York in 1937.</p> <table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td> <table class="box" align="left" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="200"> <tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"><img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/victorianLiliesQBG.jpg" alt="Gala 2004" border="1" height="150" width="200" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <p class="smalltext">Victorian Waterplatters reach full size at Quail Botanical Gardens.<em> Photo courtesy of Cynthia Jones. </em></p> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> <p><strong>Not the Only Superstar at QBG<br /></strong>Every year at this time the spectacular Victorian Waterplatters reach their largest growth and bloom. Nicknamed "Waterlilies on Steroids" by QBG's Director of Horticulture, Dave Ehrlinger, and located in the pond in the Bamboo Garden, these plants are supersized. The floating leaves are five to six feet in diameter and can support up to 150-200 pounds. The huge showy flowers are 12 to 18 inches across. Large plants can produce several hundred blooms. </p> <p>In the 19th century these spectacular plants were discovered and named after Queen Victoria of England. They were carefully grown in large pools in the newly invented greenhouses of that era. Today these rarely cultivated plants are still prized specimens. </p> <p><strong>About Quail Botanical Gardens </strong><br />The mission of Quail Botanical Gardens is to actively participate in the conservation of rare, threatened and endangered plant species, to serve the botanical and horticultural needs of San Diego County, and to exist as an urban retreat. Quail Botanical Gardens is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit organization supported through earned revenues, gifts from individuals, corporate sponsorships, and grants. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.qbgardens.org/">http://www.qbgardens.com</a>, or call 760-435-3036.</p> <p><u>Media Contact</u>: Cynthia Jones<br />Quail Botanical Gardens<br />(760) 436-3036, or<br />619-204-4231</p> <table class="box" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="530"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td><img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/BoomanATweb.jpg" alt="Diane Baxter, QBG Development Director and this year's Gala organizer; Gala MC Alison St. John-Inglis of KPBS and her husband Damien Inglis; and Maggie Hoolihan, EncInitas Mayor. " border="1" height="264" width="220" /></td> <td><img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/2002arumtimeline.jpg" border="1" height="240" width="287" /></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td> <span class="smalltext">Jim Booman, owner of the two Titan Arums on loan to QBG.<em> Photo courtesy of Cynthia Jones. </em></span> </td> <td> <span class="smalltext">Amorphophallus blooming timeline July, 2002. <em>Photos courtesy of Claire Ehrlinger. </em></span> </td> </tr> </tbody></table><br /> <table class="box" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="530"><tbody><tr valign="top"> <td><img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/qbGCorpseFlwr904_copy.jpg" alt="Gala 2004" border="1" height="384" width="250" /></td> <td><img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/sarahstinky.jpg" alt="Gala 2004" border="1" height="379" width="367" /></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td> <p class="smalltext">Sue Zesky, office manager at Quail Botanical Gardens, records the growth of the Corpse Flower plant twice a day. It's currently averaging two inches per day, but will accelerate closer to its bloom.<em> Photo courtesy of Cynthia Jones. </em></p> </td> <td> <span class="smalltext">Sarah, daughter of QBG employee experiences the distinctive smell.<em> Photo courtesy of Claire Ehrlinger.</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="submenu" align="center"> <em> <strong> Bloomed October 6, 2004</strong></em></p> <table class="box" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#968b5d"> <td colspan="4" class="menu" valign="top"> <i>Amorphophallus</i> Growth Data 2004</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#bdce88"> <td valign="top" width="147"> <b>Date</b></td> <td valign="top" width="158"> <b>Time</b></td> <td valign="top" width="121"> <b>Height </b><b>(in.)</b></td> <td valign="top" width="259"><strong>Circumference (inches)</strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 15-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 16:10</td> <td valign="top"> 24.5</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 16-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 10:30</td> <td valign="top"> 25.5</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 16-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 16:00</td> <td valign="top"> 26.5</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 17-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 9:00</td> <td valign="top"> 27.5</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 17-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 16:15</td> <td valign="top"> 27.75</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 19-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 13:00</td> <td valign="top"> 29.25</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 20-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 11:00</td> <td valign="top"> 31</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 20-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 15:40</td> <td valign="top"> 32</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 22-Sep</td> <td valign="top"> 10:15</td> <td valign="top"> 37</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 23-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 10:30</td> <td valign="top"> 41</td> <td valign="top"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top">24-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 11:00</td> <td valign="top"> 43</td> <td valign="top"> 32</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top">25-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 10:25</td> <td valign="top"> 45</td> <td valign="top"> 34</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 26-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 10:00</td> <td valign="top"> 47</td> <td valign="top"> 35.5</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 27-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 8:00</td> <td valign="top"> 49.5</td> <td valign="top"> 38</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 28-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 8:00</td> <td valign="top"> 51</td> <td valign="top"> 38</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 29-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 8:00</td> <td valign="top"> 52</td> <td valign="top"> NA</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 30-Sept</td> <td valign="top"> 8:00</td> <td valign="top"> 53+</td> <td valign="top"> 39</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 01 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> 8:15</td> <td valign="top"> 55</td> <td valign="top"> 40</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 02 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> noon</td> <td valign="top"> 56+</td> <td valign="top"> 40</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 03 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> 11:30 </td> <td valign="top"> 56.5</td> <td valign="top"> 41</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 04 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> 10:30</td> <td valign="top"> 57.5</td> <td valign="top"> 42</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 05 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> 11:45</td> <td valign="top"> 59</td> <td valign="top"> 42</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 06 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> 7:45</td> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"> Blooming!</td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <td valign="top"> 07 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"> Closed</td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> 12 - Oct</td> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="top"> Falling over</td> </tr> </tbody></table> <br /> <table class="box" align="center" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="1"><tbody><tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/sept2310am.jpg" alt="September 23, 2004 -10 am" border="1" height="350" width="233" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>September 23, 2004 -10 am </strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/SEPT2410AM.jpg" alt="September 24, 2004 - 10 am" border="1" height="350" width="212" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>September 24, 2004 - 10 am </strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/arum092604.jpg" alt="September 26, 2004- 10 am" border="1" height="350" width="209" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>September 26, 2004- 10 am</strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/arum092704.jpg" alt="September 27, 2004 - 8 am" border="1" height="350" width="194" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>September 27, 2004 - 8 am </strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/Arum092904.jpg" alt="September 29, 2004 - 8 am" border="1" height="350" width="198" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>September 29, 2004 - 8 am</strong><br />Sheath has totally fallen away. </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/300904sm.jpg" alt="September 30, 2004 - 8 am" border="1" height="350" width="184" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>September 30, 2004 - 8 am </strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/oct0104.jpg" alt="October 1, 2004 - 8:30 am" border="1" height="350" width="176" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 1, 2004 - 8:30 am</strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/0ct0204.jpg" alt="October 2, 2004 - 5:00 pm" border="1" height="350" width="173" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 2, 2004 - 5:00 pm</strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/03oct04sm.jpg" alt="October 3, 2004 - 11:30 am" border="1" height="350" width="233" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 3, 2004 - 11:30 am</strong><br />Sue Z., QBG staff member has been faithfully measuring "Mr. Stinky" each day. </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/oct504sm.jpg" alt="October 5, 2004 - 11:45 am" border="1" height="350" width="195" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 5, 2004 - 11:45 am</strong><br />Started opening sometime during the night </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/sarahstinky.jpg" alt="October 6, 2004 - 7:45 am " border="1" height="379" width="367" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 6, 2004 - 7:45 am </strong><br />"It smells like porta-potty!". exclaimed Sarah, daughter of Dave, the Director of Horticulture. </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/0ct06bloom.jpg" alt="October 6, 2004 8 am" border="1" height="350" width="263" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 6, 2004 8 am </strong> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/oct0704.jpg" alt="October 7, 2004 8:15 am" border="1" height="350" width="263" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 7, 2004 8:15 am </strong><br />Beginning to close but still smelly. The smell comes in waves. </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/oct1104sm.jpg" alt="October 11, 2004" border="1" height="350" width="170" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 11, 2004</strong><br />Closed yet smelly </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <img src="http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/images/Amorphophallus_2004/oct1204.jpg" alt="October 12, 2004" border="1" height="350" width="201" /> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#dee6c3"> <center> <strong>October 12, 2004 </strong><br />Falling over, still smelly </center></td></tr></tbody></table><br />http://www.qbgardens.org/news/articles/09232004.shtmlAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-23530330797196908132008-04-01T20:56:00.000-07:002008-04-01T21:07:46.378-07:00Titan Arum in China<p align="center"><img src="http://infoimages.nmgnews.com/information/20070706/87073.jpg" /></p><br /><br /><p align="center"><img src="http://infoimages.nmgnews.com/information/20070706/87072.jpg" /></p><p align="center">http://www.nmgnews.com.cn/information/article/20070706/99850_1.html</p><p><img src="http://bbsimg.qianlong.com/upload/01/21/31/12/1213112_1176428654531.jpg" /></p> <p><br /></p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-61642839295451221362008-04-01T20:53:00.000-07:002008-04-01T20:54:06.491-07:00Dictionary for Titan Arum<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><b>Noun</b></td> <td valign="top"><b>1.</b> </td> <td valign="top"><b>amorphophallus - </b>any plant of the genus Amorphophallus</td> </tr></tbody></table><br />By Wordnet Dictionary<br /><br /><b>amorphophallus</b>: <i>n.</i> <b>1.</b> any plant of the genus Amorphophallus.<br />‖<br /> <br />By Webster Dictionary<br /><br /> <p><br /></p> <table style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0.5em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; float: right;" border="1" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr style="text-align: center;"> <th style="background: lightgreen none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <b>Amorphophallus</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Image:Titan-arum1web.jpg"><img src="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/prev_wiki/images/thumb/5/56/250px-Titan-arum1web.jpg" alt="Amorphophallus titanum" longdesc="/prev_wiki/index.php/Image:Titan-arum1web.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><small>Giant Arum (<i>Amorphophallus titanum</i>)</small> </td></tr> <tr style="text-align: center;"> <th style="background: lightgreen none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <b><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Scientific_classification">Scientific classification</a></b> </th></tr> <tr style="text-align: center;"> <td> <table style="margin: 0pt auto; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; text-align: left; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" cellpadding="2"> <tbody><tr valign="top"> <td>Kingdom:</td><td><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Plant">Plantae</a> </td></tr> <tr valign="top"> <td>Division:</td><td><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Flowering_plant">Magnoliophyta</a> </td></tr> <tr valign="top"> <td>Class:</td><td><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Liliopsida">Liliopsida</a> </td></tr> <tr valign="top"> <td>Order:</td><td><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Alismatales">Alismatales</a> </td></tr> <tr valign="top"> <td>Family:</td><td><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Araceae">Araceae</a> </td></tr> <tr valign="top"> <td>Genus:</td><td><b>Amorphophallus</b> </td></tr></tbody></table> </td></tr> <tr style="background: lightgreen none repeat scroll 0% 50%; text-align: center; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> <th><b>Species</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td> <p>See text </p> </td></tr></tbody></table> <p><br /><i>Amorphophallus</i> is a large genus of some 170 tropical tuberous herbaceous plants from the Arum family (<a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Araceae">Araceae</a>). </p><p>These are typical lowland plants, growing in the tropical and subtropical zones of the paleotropics, from West Africa to the Pacific Islands. None is found in the Americas. Most species are endemic. They grow preferably on disturbed grounds, such as secondary forests. </p><p>These small to massive plants have a globose <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Tuber">tuber</a>. From top of this tuber, a single <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Leaf">leaf</a> issues, which can be up to 1 m long, followed, on maturity, by a single flower. This leaf consists of a vertical leaf stalk and a horizontal blade, which may consist of a number of small leaflets. The leaf lasts one growing season. The peduncle (= primary flower stalk) can be long or short. </p><p>As typical in the Arum family, these species develop an inflorescence consisting of an elongate or ovate spathe (a sheating bract) which usually envelops the <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Spadix">spadix</a> (a flower spike with a fleshy axis). The spathe can have different colors, but mostly brownish-purple of whitish-green. On the inside, they contain ridges or warts, functioning as insect traps. </p><p>The plants are <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Monoecious">monoecious</a>. The spadix has tiny flowers : female flowers, no more than a <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Pistil">pistil</a>, at the bottom, then male flowers, actually a group of stamens, and then a blank sterile area. This last part, called 'the appendix', consists of sterile flowers, called 'staminodes', and can be especially large. There is no <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Corolla">corolla</a>. </p><p>Once the spathe opens, pollination must happen the same day. The appendix emits a scent of decaying flesh, attracting insects. Yet a number of species gives off a pleasant odor. Through a number of ingenious insect traps, pollinating insects are kept inside the spathe to deposit pollen on the female flowers. These stay open only one day, while the male flowers are still closed. These open then the next day, but by then the female flowers are no longer receptive. The male flowers shower the trapped insects with pollen. Once the insects escape, they can then pollinate another flower. </p><p>The pollinated flowers then develop a globose <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Berry">berry</a> as a <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Fruit">fruit</a>. These can be red, orange-red, white, white-and-yellow, blue. </p><p>The <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Titan_arum">titan arum</a>, the world's biggest <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Inflorescence">inflorescence</a>, belongs to this genus. It can reach a height of 2.5 m and a width of 1.5 m. A runner-up is <i>Amorphophallus gigas</i>, which is taller, but has a somewhat smaller flower. <i>Amorphophallus konjac</i> tubers are used to make <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Konjaku">konjaku</a>, a Japanese thickening agent containing <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Glucomannan">glucomannan</a>. </p><p>Some species are called <a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Voodoo_lily">voodoo lily</a>, as are some species of <i><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Sauromatum">Sauromatum</a></i> (also in the Araceae). </p><p>The name 'Amorphophallus' us derived from the Greek words 'amorphos' and 'phallos', meaning 'malformed penis'. </p> <a name="Species"></a><h2> Species </h2> <div class="thumb tright"><div style="width: 302px;"><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Image:Titan-arum2web.jpg"><img src="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/prev_wiki/images/thumb/4/42/300px-Titan-arum2web.jpg" alt="Tiatan Arum - close-up" longdesc="/prev_wiki/index.php/Image:Titan-arum2web.jpg" border="0" height="404" width="300" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify" style="float: right;"><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Image:Titan-arum2web.jpg"><img src="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/prev_wiki/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png" alt="Enlarge" border="0" height="11" width="15" /></a></div>Tiatan Arum - close-up</div></div></div> <ul><li><i>Amorphophallus aberrans</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus abyssinicus</i> <ul><li><i>Amorphophallus abyssinicus</i> subsp. <i>abyssinicus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus abyssinicus</i> subsp. <i>akeassii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus abyssinicus</i> subsp. <i>unyikae</i> </li></ul> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus albispathus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus albus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus amygdaloides</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus angolensis</i> <ul><li><i>Amorphophallus angolensis</i> subsp. <i>angolensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus angolensis</i> subsp. <i>maculatus</i> </li></ul> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus angulatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus angustispathus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus ankarana</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus annulifer</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus antsingyensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus aphyllus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus asper</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus asterostigmatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus atrorubens</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus atroviridis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus barthlottii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus baumannii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus beccarii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus becquaertii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus bonaccordensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus borneensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus boyceanus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus brachyphyllus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus brevispathus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus bufo</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus bulbifer</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus calabaricus</i> <ul><li><i>Amorphophallus calabaricus</i> subsp. <i>calabaricus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus calabaricus</i> subsp. <i>mayoi</i> </li></ul> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus canaliculatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus carneus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus chlorospathus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus cicatricifer</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus cirrifer</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus coaetaneus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus commutatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus consimilis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus corrugatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus costatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus coudercii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus cruddasianus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus curvistylis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus dactylifer</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus declinatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus decus-silvae</i> : West-Java Giant Amorphophallus </li><li><i>Amorphophallus discophorus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus dracontioides</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus dunnii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus dzuii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophilus eburneus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophilus echinatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus eichleri</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus elatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus elegans</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus elliottii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus excentricus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus forbesii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus galbra</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus gallaensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus gigas</i> : Sumatra Giant Amorphophallus </li><li><i>Amorphophallus gliruroides</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus glossophyllus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus goetzei</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus gomboczianus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus gracilior</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus gracilis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus haematospadix</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus harmandii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hayi</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus henryi</i> : Taiwan Amorphophallus </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hetterscheidii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hewittii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hildebrandtii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hirsutus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hirtus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hohenackeri</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus hottae</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus impressus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus incurvatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus infundibuliformis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus interruptus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus johnsonii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus kachinensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus kiusianus</i> </li><li><i><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Konjaku">Amorphophallus konjac</a></i> : Devil's Tongue, Elephant Foot, Elephant-yam, Leopard Palm, Snake Palm, Umbrella Arum </li><li><i>Amorphophallus konkanensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus koratensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus krausei</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus lambii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus lanuginosus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus laoticus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus lewallei</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus linearis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus linguiformis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus longicornus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus longiconnectivus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus longispathaceus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus longistylus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus longituberosus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus luzoniensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus lyratus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus macrorhizus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus manta</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus margaritifer</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus margretae</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus maximus</i> <ul><li><i>Amorphophallus maximus</i> subsp. <i>fischeri</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus maximus</i> subsp. <i>maximus</i> </li></ul> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus maxwellii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus mekongensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus merrillii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus mildbraedii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus minor</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus mossambicensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus muelleri</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus mullendersii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus mysorensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus nanus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus napalensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus napiger</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus nicolsonianus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus obovoideus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus obscurus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus ochroleucus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus opertus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus paeoniifolius</i> : Whitespot Giant Arum, Elephant Yam </li><li><i>Amorphophallus palawanensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus parvulus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus paucisectus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus pendulus</i> : Brunei Amorphophalus </li><li><i>Amorphophallus perakensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus pilosus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus plicatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus polyanthus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus prainii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus preussii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus purpurascens</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus pusillus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus putii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus pygmaeus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus rhizomatosus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus richardsiae</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus rostratus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus rugosus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus sagittarius</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus salmoneus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus saraburiensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus saururus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus scaber</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus scutatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus sizemorae</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus sizemorae</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus smithsonianus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus sparsiflorus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus spectabilis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus staudtii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus stipitatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus stuhlmannii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus subsymbiformis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus sumawongii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus sylvaticus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus symonianus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus synandrifer</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus taurostigma</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus tenuispadix</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus tenuistylis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus teuszii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus tinekeae</i> </li><li><i><a href="http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/Titan_arum">Amorphophallus titanum</a></i> : Titan Arum, Krubi (largest flower on earth) </li><li><i>Amorphophallus tonkinensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus variabilis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus venustus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus verticillatus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus yuloensis</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus yunnanensis</i> : Kerri's Giant Arum </li><li><i>Amorphophallus zengianus</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus zenkeri</i> <ul><li><i>Amorphophallus zenkeri</i> subsp.<i> mannii</i> </li><li><i>Amorphophallus zenkeri</i> subsp. <i>zenkeri</i> </li></ul> </li></ul> <a name="Reference"></a><h2> Reference </h2> <ul><li>Hetterscheid, W.L.A. 1994. Preliminary taxonomy and morphology of Amorphophallus Blume ex Decaisne (Araceae). In: M.M. Serebreyanyi (ed.), Proc. Moscow Aroid Conference 1992: 35-48. Moscow. </li><li>Hetterscheid, W.L.A. & G.J.C.M. v. Vliet, 1996. Amorphophallus, giant from the forest. CITES/C&M, 2(4): 86-96. </li><li>Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Amorphophallus, but Were Afraid to Stick Your Nose Into!!!!! by Wilbert Hetterscheid and Stephen Ittenbach - Aroideana 19 :7-129 </li><li><a href="http://www.aroid.org/genera/amorphophallus/amlist.html" class="external" title="http://www.aroid.org/genera/amorphophallus/amlist.html">Amorphophallus species with photos</a><span class="urlexpansion"> (<i>http://www.aroid.org/genera/amorphophallus/amlist.html</i>)</span> </li></ul> <p> </p><br />This article is licensed under the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html" target="_blank">GNU Free Documentation License</a>. It uses material from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/amorphophallus" target="_blank">Wikipedia article "amorphophallus"</a>.<br /><br />http://dictionary.laborlawtalk.com/amorphophallusAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-91143078309478539642008-04-01T20:44:00.000-07:002008-04-01T20:50:19.864-07:00"Bunga Bangkai" or "Corpse Flowers"<img src="http://www.platypuspool.com/images/titanmrstinky.jpg" align="left" height="405" hspace="20" vspace="20" width="258" /> <img src="http://www.platypuspool.com/images/titanshaq.jpg" align="right" height="400" hspace="20" vspace="20" width="233" /><br /><p>The Titan Arum (<i>Amorphophallus titanum</i>) is native to the equatorial rain forests on the island of Sumatra. There it is known as "<i>Bunga Bangkai</i>," meaning "Corpse Flower." This is due to its stench, which has been discribed as resembling "rotting-fish-with-burnt-sugar." This odor, which is strongest at night, is designed to attract pollinators, which in Sumatra are mainly carrion beetles and flesh flies.<br /><br />In its natural state, the inflorescence of the Titan Arum can sometimes reach a height of 10 feet. None of the Titan Arums which have bloomed in "captivity" has reached this height. More typical in size is Mr. Stinky, which is shown on the left. Mr Stinky grew an inflorescence which reached a maximum height of 7'1" when it bloomed in May 2003. This is the exact same height as Shaquille O'Neill, who is shown at right.<br /><br /></p> <div class="header" align="center"> A Little History </div><br /> <img src="http://www.platypuspool.com/images/titanvisitors.jpg" align="right" height="200" hspace="20" vspace="20" width="266" /><br /><p>An Italian botanist "discovered" the Titan Arum in Sumatra in 1878. (The residents of Sumatra had long been aware of it, of course.) He sent seeds to England's Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, where the first bloom of this species in cultivation occurred in 1889.<br /><br />A Titan Arum bloomed for the first time in the United States at the New York Botanical Gardens in 1937, where it became a sensation. Since then there have been about two dozen blooms in the United States. The photograph at right shows a bloom which occurred at the Huntington Library in Southern California in 1998.<br /></p> <div class="header" align="center"> A Little Botany </div><br /> <p>The Titan Arum grows from a large tuber that can weigh over 170 pounds. For most of its life, the plant regularly produces a single, umbrella-like leaf that is itself quite "titanic." In the wild, this leaf can reach 20 feet tall and 15 feet across. In cultivation the leaf usually grows 12 feet high, with the stalk as thick as a person's thigh before branching into a single, compound leaf. An individual leaf lives for about a year. The tuber then enters a short dormant period before producing another leaf or (if you're very, very, lucky) a Bunga Bangkai. <img src="http://www.platypuspool.com/images/titancycle.jpg" align="left" height="340" hspace="20" vspace="20" width="250" /> <img src="http://www.platypuspool.com/images/titanheart.jpg" align="right" height="200" hspace="20" vspace="20" width="266" /> The bloom of a Titan Arum is called an inflorescence. Like all Aroids, this inflorescence consists of a spadix surrounded by a spathe. Thousands of flowers are hidden inside at the base of the thick, fleshy spadix. The spathe when open resembles a fluted upturned bell with a maroon interior. Only after the spathe is completely unfurled are the flowers mature and only then does the inflorescence emit its famous odor.<br /><br />The spathe unfurls about 3 weeks after the bud tip first appears. The huge inflorescence opens abruptly (within hours) and typically stays open for only a few days. Collapse of the spadix takes place after three to five days. If the flowers were successfully pollinated, the surrounding spathe eventually falls off, exposing the maturing seeds. When ripe, the cherry-sized fruits turn a bright orange-red, which attracts birds, which pick the berries off, eat them, and excrete the seed. In this way, the plant is dispersed in nature.</p> <div class="header" align="center"> Hot Stuff! </div><br /> <img src="http://www.platypuspool.com/images/titanheat.jpg" align="left" height="195" hspace="20" vspace="20" width="125" /><br /><p>The Titan Arum heats itself up during its bloom. The tip of the spadix will heat to about human body temperature, which can be seen in the thermal image from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, on the left. The rest of the spadix is cooler, though still warmer than the surrounding air.<br /><br />The reason the Titans do this is that molecules which cause the famous stench are fairly heavy, sulfur based compounds that don't become airborne easily. The plant heats itself up in order to volatilize its "perfume," enabling the smell to travel further, attract more flies and beetles, and increase the chance of pollination.<br /><br />The plant must expend an enormous amount of energy to do this, which limits the amount of time it can bloom. This explains why Titan Arums typically only bloom for a few days, and why they do not bloom every year.</p><p>http://www.platypuspool.com/arumtitan.html<br /></p>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-73093292399117034222008-04-01T20:42:00.000-07:002008-04-01T20:43:28.660-07:00Giant "Corpse Flower" Blooms in Germany<table class="author" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td align="left"><div>Reuters</div> </td> <td align="right">Oct 22, 2005</td> </tr></tbody></table> <br /> <div class="articleimage right" style="width: 304px;"> <div class="image"><img src="http://en.epochtimes.com/news_images/2005-10-22-corpse-flower.jpg" style="width: 296px; height: 339px;" /></div> <div class="caption">An exemplar of Giant Arum (Amorhophallus titanum) that opened its blossom at the Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart, southern Germany. The blossom is three metres tall and said to be the world's biggest of its kind. (Michael Latz/AFP/DDP)</div> </div> <div class="content"> <p>BERLIN - The world's tallest - and smelliest - flower has bloomed, reaching a height of 2.94 metres, 18 centimetres more than the previous record for the species, the Stuttgart botanical garden said on Friday.</p><p>The Titan Arum, or Amorphophallus Titanum, nicknamed "corpse flower" because of its putrid stench, blooms rarely and briefly.</p><p>Garden staff have nicknamed the purple flower "Diva" and are charting its life on their web site, www.wilhelma.de.</p><p>But those keen for a glimpse, or a whiff, in person must be quick: just 24 hours after the 11 year-old plant produced its first flower, the bloom began to wilt on Friday.</p><p>The Titan Arum was discovered in 1878 in its sole indigenous habitat, the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and grows in cultivation in only a handful of places around the world.</p><p>Its scent has been likened to rotting fish or animal flesh.</p><p>"The smell is crucial to its survival in its natural habitat because it attracts pollinating carrion beetles and flesh flies," said botanist Franziska Lo-Kockel.</p><p>Lo-Kockel brought the bulb of the plant, weighing some 40 kilograms, from the University of Frankfurt to the Stuttgart gardens 11 years ago. </p></div>Amorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062324787937707446.post-88934376308678749522008-04-01T20:39:00.000-07:002008-04-01T20:40:28.750-07:00fORMA DE PENIS DEFORMADO TITANIC<center><img src="http://n.i.uol.com.br/inovacao/030523flower_big.jpg" /></center><br />(vcs lembram dela??)<br />Uma flor está atraindo muitos visitantes na Alemanha. Trata-se de uma Titan Arum (Amophophallus titanum), que está sendo cultivada em uma estufa na universidade de Bonn.<br /><br /><br />Milhares de curiosos fizeram fila para dar uma olhada no que a universidade afirma ser a flor mais alta do mundo, com 2,72 metros. A Titan Arum, natural das florestas tropicais de Sumatra (ilha no Oceano Índico), começou a florescer em 14 de março e alcançou seu recorde de altura nesta sexta (23). O evento merece a visita, pois a planta floresce apenas duas ou três vezes durante seus 40 anos de vida, em média.<br /><br /><br />A Titan também é conhecida pelo seu odor inigualável -uma nada agradável mistura de peixe podre com açúcar queimado, segundo os cientistas. O cheiro, ainda mais forte durante a noite, serve para atrair insetos polinizadores, como besouros e moscas que se alimentam de carniça.<br /><br /><br />O cheiro é composto basicamente de compostos pesados à base de enxofre, que não se propagam pelo ar facilmente. Para espalhar o "perfume" pelo ar e atrair mais insetos, a planta se aquece, consumindo carboidratos armazenados e provocando uma espécie de curto-circuito em seu sistema respiratório para maximizar a produção de calor. Com isso, a temperatura interna da flor chega a 36°C. O desgaste envolvido nesse processo explica porque a planta floresce por poucos dias e no máximo três vezes durante sua vida.<br />(fonte <a href="http://noticias.uol.com.br/inovacao/ultimas/ult762u1218.jhtm">uol</a>)<br /><br />http://fiveheads.blogspot.com/2003_05_01_archive.htmlAmorphophallus Titanumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05925770791518353303noreply@blogger.com0