Amorphophallus bulbifer -size to bloom

From: "Don Bittel" dbittel at treco.net> on 2000.07.12 at 04:25:37(5064) Jody, my bulbifer plants usually flower when about 3 feet tall. I had maybe 7 flowers this spring, aound May. my paeonifolius plants are about the same, flowering when 3 to 4 feet tall. I had about 20 flowers this spring, also about May. The biggest flowers will wait to put up a leaf until next spring. My biggest leaf now is about 8 feet, from a big flower last year. Don't need to worry about the smell though, because my wife makes me cut them all down when the flies start buzzin' Don Bittel +More ---------- > From: Jody Haynes > To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L > Subject: Re: Amorphophallus bulbifer stories > Date: Monday, July 10, 2000 10:23 PM > > Albert, > > This will certainly not help you unravel your apparent mystery, but I could add > that my A. bulbifer was the first to emerger (from the ground) this year, > some time > in May. The bulbils from last year that I had sown in a container earlier this > spring emerged about a month later. My largest plant has a leaf about 3 > feet tall > now, but still has not flowered. How big does this species need to be before it > flowers? > > My A. paenifolius emerged in June and the leaf reached 4 feet. This one > also has > not flowered...again same question: how big 'til it blooms? > > Jody (in Miami) > > Albert Huntington wrote: > > > Hello, List. > > > > I would like to bring up a couple of observations about my A. bulbifer and > > ask some questions. > > > > I keep my A. bulbifer in a greenhouse (low 65F, high 90F, Humidity > >80%+), and > > around last September I noticed that the leaf ( about 2ft high ) was > >beginning > > to wilt, perhaps in preparation for dormancy of some sort. Since the > >plant had > > been growing pretty vigorously, I figured that I would try out a > >procedure that > > I had read on the list for taking petiole cuttings, and harvest a few of the > > bulbils along the way. I removed the leaf from the tuber and cut the petiole > > into 2-3" long sections which I sealed into a plastic bag with some damp > > sphagnum peat. I stored the tuber in the fridge over the winter, > >figuring that > > I did not have room for the plant with everything else overwintering in my > > greenhouse, should it decide to come back up. I also stored a bunch of > >little > > tubers that had formed attached to the big tuber. > > Much to my amazement, the petioles did in fact form even more little tubers > > after a month or two. > > > > Now, in March, I figured it was time to pot out the tubers, so I took them > > from the fridge, where they had kept relatively well, and I planted them in > > pots in the greenhouse. I then proceeded to wait. And wait. And wait. > > About early June, a few of the small tubers had sprouted, but not the big > > one. Now, in July, I finally see a small pink shoot on top of my bigger > > tuber. Some more of the smaller tubers I had potted up are beginning to > > sprout. Every single other Amorph I have, including the ones Wilbert > >sent out > > this spring, is pretty much in full leaf by now. This is somewhat > >puzzling to > > me. > > > > Does anyone have any suggestions as to why my A. bulbifer and its offshoots > > should be poking their heads out so late this year? Is it because I stressed > > the plant by cutting off its head a bit early? Does it have something to do > > with its long siesta in the fridge? Is A. bulbifer just a late species? > > Anybody else have any experiences like this with other species? > > > > Thanks in advange for your answers... > > > > --Albert > > > > ===== > > Albert Huntington San Jose, CA U.S.A. > > Visit my greenhouse at: > > http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Jungle/1436 > > ----------------------------------------------- > >

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