TitanWatch 5/6/03 She was trying to show off her, dare I say.

From: "Craig Allen" callen at fairchildgarden.org> on 2003.05.07 at 01:00:35(10192) TitanWatch 5/6/03 She was trying to show off her, dare I say... There were a number of TV stations here today, but I couldn't keep up with the list. They are gone now, but I'll see many of them again when Mr. Stinky does his thang, as we say in Texas. One of the most enjoyable moments today was when the entire cast and crew with the new production of 'Little Shop of Horrors' came for a visit. The production opens tomorrow in the Actors' Playhouse at Coral Gables famous Miracle Theater. I was lucky enough to talk to designer and master puppeteer, Martin P. Robinson. I asked him why my Audrey III doesn't talk like his Audrey II. He wasn't sure, but suggested that I'm lucky my Audrey has not yet developed the rich taste for eating people that his creation is famous for. Should I be worried? A Prima Donna... That is what I think Audrey III has become. When I got to Fairchild Garden this morning the Guard told me that she doesn't smell so terrible any more. I expected that, but if you have watched her on the web cam today you already know what I'm about to say. She has already closed up. It is the shortest-lived Titan I have bloomed. She stayed open less than 24 hours. Even though she has been closing slowly all day, I have to admit she is still very beautiful. As her elegant ruffled spathe closed around her she began to take on the look of a woman in a fancy party dress. It looked for all the world like she was trying to show off her, dare I say, cleavage. She is a prima donna all right. She's been on TV and it went to her head. Maybe she is holding out for higher pay or more likely a pot of richer compost. Hopefully a person for dinner or should I say a human as dinner isn't what is on her mind! Now I am playing the Why Game. Why did she close so soon? Why did she wait so long to release her odor? I spent all day wondering why. Could the lighting we left on over night have affected the normal bloom pattern? With the flies she attracted, could she have been inadvertently pollinated? If she was, what else was in bloom? Most of the other species she was surrounded with were past their prime, but they might easily have still carried pollen. Was my baby deflowered? The Amorphophallus gigas were very short lived as well. Audrey III, or Prissy as the Garden director calls her, still has not released her pollen. Actually I would not have expected that stage until in the morning anyway. I had my arm down her spathe and the male flowers were still closed tight. That was an odd sight to the visitors here at the time. I hope they don't think I was being rude. TitanWatch update: Audrey III = 73" blooming Mr. Stinky = 69" and still growing real fast Craig M. Allen +More Conservatory Manager Fairchild Tropical Garden 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables (Miami), FL 33156 Telephone: 305.667.1651, ext.3320 Fax: 305.667.6930 Email: callen@fairchildgarden.org Web: www.fairchildgarden.org

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2003.05.08 at 00:40:11(10209) ----- Original Message ----- To: "Aroid-L (E-mail)" Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2003 9:00 PM Subject: [aroid-l] TitanWatch 5/6/03 She was trying to show off her, dare I say. TitanWatch 5/6/03 She was trying to show off her, dare I say... Dear Craig, First off let me offer my heartiest congratulations on this most magnificent accomplishment, your managing to bloom these two giants of the Amorphophallus world, and allow me to thank you on behalf of all of us 'out there' for so lovingly sharing your joy and experiences in observing your babies as they gave to the public of themselves, the 'showing off' of their absolutely fantastic blooms, as nothing in the plant kingdom compares to these true marvels. I will offer some of my as yet unproven thoughts on the 'why' of Audrey`s seemingly odd 'behavior'. You may recall that some time ago we debated how some smaller Aroid tubers and plants, seemingly not as yet fully mature or large enough to support a developing infructesence, were seemingly still 'driven' to bloom and to make their contribution to the gene pool. Audrey seems the perfect fit for this scenario! She is still a relatively small tuber/plant, and upon opening she did not produce the 'blast' of odor which would attract insects bearing pollen from another bloom to her female flowers at their peak of receptivity. She seemingly 'choose' to skip this most important 'event'. She then produces her odor, presumably AFTER the female anthesis/receptivity is past, so this 'secondary' odor-event would then attract the insects, and she closes to 'trap' them. She produces her pollen (PLEASE let us know if and when this happy event takes place!!!), and eventually the insects will be allowed to escape, but bearing HER new pollen to be taken to OTHER blooms on larger plants, her 'mission' would have been accomplished, as a 'daddy' she has made HER contribution of pollen to the gene pool, but because of the small size of her tuber/reserves, she could not support a developing infructesence over the LONG months it takes to produce seed, and so would not 'allow' herself to be pollinated. This has been recorded in the genus Arisaema, and I have observed this in the genera Anaphyllopsis and Urospatha, but I do not believe there have been any other publications on this aspect of aroid reproduction. I hope that this may help, and comments will be appreciated! My friend the late Dr. Jim Symon would have been so very happy to see the results of his seed collections doing so well at Fairchild under your gifted hands, I can only wish that he had survived to see the fruits of his labor doing so very well and bringing such enjoyment to the masses. Where ever you may be Jim, thanks and well done! Julius Boos +More >>Now I am playing the Why Game. Why did she close so soon? Why did she wait so long to release her odor? I spent all day wondering why. Could the lighting we left on over night have affected the normal bloom pattern? With the flies she attracted, could she have been inadvertently pollinated? If she was, what else was in bloom? Most of the other species she was surrounded with were past their prime, but they might easily have still carried pollen. Was my baby deflowered? The Amorphophallus gigas were very short lived as well. Audrey III, or Prissy as the Garden director calls her, still has not released her pollen. Actually I would not have expected that stage until in the morning anyway. I had my arm down her spathe and the male flowers were still closed tight. That was an odd sight to the visitors here at the time. I hope they don't think I was being rude. TitanWatch update: Audrey III = 73" blooming Mr. Stinky = 69" and still growing real fast Craig M. Allen Conservatory Manager Fairchild Tropical Garden 10901 Old Cutler Road Coral Gables (Miami), FL 33156 Telephone: 305.667.1651, ext.3320 Fax: 305.667.6930 Email: callen@fairchildgarden.org Web: www.fairchildgarden.org

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