question about tubers vs. bulbs

From: SongString at aol.com on 2003.05.05 at 17:19:08(10174) Should I call my Amorphophallus Konjac growing out of a bulb or tuber? What is the difference? Is it just that a tuber may be shaped different than a bulb? +More Can I get seeds from a tuberous plant, such as the A. Konjac and have new plants come from seeds from the Konjac, or does it only come from more little "tubers". Mine has never bloomed before. Does it have to be pollinated in order to keep growing and producing more plants? If it only grows from tubers, why does it need to be pollinated? I'm not a botanist,and my biology classes were over several decades ago. Nancy

From: Don Martinson llmen at wi.rr.com> on 2003.05.05 at 20:02:23(10177) Should I call my Amorphophallus Konjac growing out of a bulb or tuber? What is the difference? Is it just that a tuber may be shaped different than a bulb? Bulbs are made up of layers or scales. Good example, an onion. Tuber is probably most appropriate, being defined as "A short, thick, usually, but not always subterranean stem or branch bearing buds or 'eyes' and serving as a storage organ, as in the potato..." (Hortus III) Can I get seeds from a tuberous plant, such as the A. Konjac and have new plants come from seeds from the Konjac, or does it only come from more little "tubers". Both, actually, although I think most of us just take the small extra tubers that form each year if we wish additional plants Mine has never bloomed before. Does it have to be pollinated in order to keep growing and producing more plants? If it only grows from tubers, why does it need to be pollinated? Pollination is only required if you wish seed (see above), and I believe that most clones of A. konjac are self-sterile or at least do not have the proper parts receptive at the proper times for self fertilization. -- Don Martinson +More Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mailto:llmen@wi.rr.com

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2003.05.05 at 22:36:38(10181) Dear Nancy, I`ll try---it is growing from a corm or tuber, as a bulb has layers like an onion. As in other plant families, most aroids reproduce both by vegitative means (small new tubers or cuttings, the new plants are clones of the 'mother') or by sexual means (seeds). It now gets complicated---some aroids, and I believe Am. konjac is one of them, are capable of producing fertile seeds without pollenation, and all the new plants from these non-fertilized seed are clones of the mother plant! If fertilized, the seed carry the properties of both the male plant and the female, leading to diversity, some seedlings showing the characteristics of the male/pollen plant, others of the female plant, and others a good 'mix' of the two. This is said to be a 'good' thing, as the properties of two plants are mixed. Your plant will bloom, and then may or may not develop a seed-head. It may be several years before it re-builds enough 'strength'/size to bloom again. I hope this helps. Good growing, Julius +More > Should I call my Amorphophallus Konjac growing out of a bulb or tuber? What > is the difference? Is it just that a tuber may be shaped different than a > bulb? > > Can I get seeds from a tuberous plant, such as the A. Konjac and have new > plants come from seeds from the Konjac, or does it only come from more little > "tubers". Mine has never bloomed before. Does it have to be pollinated in > order to keep growing and producing more plants? If it only grows from > tubers, why does it need to be pollinated? > > I'm not a botanist,and my biology classes were over several decades ago. > > Nancy >

From: SongString at aol.com on 2003.05.06 at 04:45:18(10184) In a message dated 5/5/03 11:28:01 PM, ju-bo@msn.com writes: << It may be several years before it re-builds enough 'strength'/size to bloom again. >> +More OH, my, I assumed that once it matured, it would bloom every year from now on. Boo hoo. I guess I should savor the moment then, huh. It has been in the 60's most of the week, so it has not been stinky yet. Thank God! Does anyone know how much the tubers are worth? Nancy

From: Dan Levin levin at pixar.com> on 2003.05.06 at 06:55:16(10185) Hi Julius & Nancy, No doubt there will be a flurry of responses on this topic, but in the interest of providing yet another data point: my largest tuber of Am. konjac (approx. 10" / 25 cm diameter) blooms like clockwork every year in April. It then takes a few months off before commencing with its foliar phase, which here in the San Francisco Bay Area persists until December or January before collapsing. A few months more rest, then the cycle repeats. It's been 4 years so far, with little to no deviation from the above schedule. -Dan Levin +More Piedmont, CA > << It may be several > > years before it re-builds enough 'strength'/size to bloom again. >> > > OH, my, I assumed that once it matured, it would bloom every year from now > on. Boo hoo. I guess I should savor the moment then, huh. It has been in > the 60's most of the week, so it has not been stinky yet. Thank God! Am. konjac is to my knowledge never an overwhelming stinker. Think "dead cat" smell or thereabouts. By comparison, poor Craig Allen at FTG has been subjected to the likes of "dead rhinoceros" lately. It's all relative, Nancy! > Does anyone know how much the tubers are worth?

From: "Mitch ." iamwhatiam52 at hotmail.com> on 2003.05.06 at 14:48:56(10188) Hello Nancy, After blooming, your tuber may rest a year and not grow at all, but mine usually grow a leaf the same year, and the larger ones (over 10" diameter) bloom nearly every year. YOUR TUBER MAY ALSO SPLIT, by putting out several leaves, and leave you with several smaller bulbs. As for what they are worth, many of us auction them on eBay. Mitch +More << It may be several years before it re-builds enough 'strength'/size to bloom again. >> OH, my, I assumed that once it matured, it would bloom every year from now on. Boo hoo. I guess I should savor the moment then, huh. It has been in the 60's most of the week, so it has not been stinky yet. Thank God! Does anyone know how much the tubers are worth? Nancy _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?pageþatures/junkmail

From: "Michael Marcotrigiano" mmarcotr at email.smith.edu> on 2003.05.06 at 18:46:02(10190) In New England the flowering ones sometimes have such a short foliar season that the resulting tuber is smaller the next year and does not flower. Sometimes they split into multiple leaves and do not flower. I had mine (not big enough I thought) in my onion cellar and just last month thought a cat died in the kitchen. A trip to the basement revealed an etiolated 10 foot stalk with a pale stinker at the end. New discovery: Light is not necessary for the tuber to stink you out of your house. +More _______________________________ Michael Marcotrigiano, Ph.D Director of the Botanic Garden and Professor of Biological Sciences Smith College Lyman Conservatory, 15 College Lane Northampton, MA 01063 email: mmarcotr@smith.edu voice: 413-585-2741; fax: 413-585-2744 www.smith.edu/garden www.science.smith.edu/~mmarcotr ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers and never succeeding." Marc Chagall >>> levin@pixar.com 05/06/03 02:55AM >>> Hi Julius & Nancy, No doubt there will be a flurry of responses on this topic, but in the interest of providing yet another data point: my largest tuber of Am. konjac (approx. 10" / 25 cm diameter) blooms like clockwork every year in April. It then takes a few months off before commencing with its foliar phase, which here in the San Francisco Bay Area persists until December or January before collapsing. A few months more rest, then the cycle repeats. It's been 4 years so far, with little to no deviation from the above schedule. -Dan Levin Piedmont, CA > << It may be several > > years before it re-builds enough 'strength'/size to bloom again. >> > > OH, my, I assumed that once it matured, it would bloom every year from now > on. Boo hoo. I guess I should savor the moment then, huh. It has been in > the 60's most of the week, so it has not been stinky yet. Thank God! Am. konjac is to my knowledge never an overwhelming stinker. Think "dead cat" smell or thereabouts. By comparison, poor Craig Allen at FTG has been subjected to the likes of "dead rhinoceros" lately. It's all relative, Nancy! > Does anyone know how much the tubers are worth?

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2003.05.06 at 23:36:14(10191) Hello Dan, Thanks for the input. I`m sure that some 'clones' bloom more regularly than others, lucky you! :--) We must bear in mind that A. konjac is in MOST cases derived from cultivated material that has been selectively grown as a food item for thousands of years, so the species is capable of all kinds of 'clones' and mutations. Fanny and Craig Phillips, founding members of the IAS, and both legendary Amophophallus/Aroid growers, had several different clones, some dwarf that bloomed when tiny, 9" miniature replicas of the other GIANT clones that bloomed at 8' tall! Wild-collected species should/will tend to be more 'standardized' and predictable. So, I guess the thing to do is to fertilize like crazy, grow for as long as possible before dormancy sets in, and some may be lucky enough to have a bloom every or nearly year in A. konjac! I urge you all to make the effort and join the IAS as there is SO much good printed articles on the growing of Amorphophallus sps., one in particular on cultivation methods by the Amorphophallus 'King-grower, my friend Craig Allen at Fairchild Gardens in Miami, Florida who presently has several specimens of the GIANT species in bloom, and others by 'Lord Phallus', my friend Wilbert Hetterschied on the different species and growing hints for these rare and most interesting plants!! Good growing! Julius +More > Hi Julius & Nancy, > > No doubt there will be a flurry of responses on this topic, but in > the interest of providing yet another data point: my largest tuber > of Am. konjac (approx. 10" / 25 cm diameter) blooms like clockwork > every year in April. It then takes a few months off before commencing > with its foliar phase, which here in the San Francisco Bay Area persists > until December or January before collapsing. A few months more rest, > then the cycle repeats. It's been 4 years so far, with little to no deviation > from the above schedule. > > > -Dan Levin > Piedmont, CA > > > > << It may be several > > > > years before it re-builds enough 'strength'/size to bloom again. >> > > > > OH, my, I assumed that once it matured, it would bloom every year from now > > on. Boo hoo. I guess I should savor the moment then, huh. It has been in > > the 60's most of the week, so it has not been stinky yet. Thank God! > > Am. konjac is to my knowledge never an overwhelming stinker. > Think "dead cat" smell or thereabouts. By comparison, poor Craig Allen at FTG > has been subjected to the likes of "dead rhinoceros" lately. It's all relative, Nancy! > > > > > Does anyone know how much the tubers are worth? > > > > >

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