Amorphophallus amputation?

From: ken at spatulacity.com on 2004.06.16 at 14:53:57(11627) I have a question about untimely amputation of an Amorphophallus leaf. Let's say a perfectly innocent Amorph has been happily growing and minding its own business. It's had time to form a new tuber of some size but isn't done its growing season - and then a malicious creature comes and chomps off the leaf and exhumes the tuber (but leaves it alone) and the poor tuber sits on the ground all exposed for a few weeks. (The malicious creature *could* have been a squirrel whose own growing season was cut short...) Is that tuber going to want to be replanted to grow a new leaf or will it want to stay dormant until the next growing season? -Ken Mosher

From: "harrywitmore at witmore.net" <harrywitmore at witmore.net> on 2004.06.16 at 16:41:10(11628) I had something similar happen last year. A sort came through and caused a leaf to break of at the surface of the tuber (planted to shallow). I took the leaf and placed in a jar of water with Sphagnum in it and forgot about it. The tuber eventually sprouted a new much small leaf before it went dormant. I ran accross the leaf in the fall and it was still green to my surprise and when I removed it from the jar it had formed 3 tubers at the base of the leaf so I suspect there was some tuber attached to the leaf. I'm trying the same think with A kuisianus this year to see what happen. Original Message: +More ----------------- Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 10:53:57 -0400 To: aroid-l@lists.ncsu.edu Subject: [aroid-l] Amorphophallus amputation? I have a question about untimely amputation of an Amorphophallus leaf. Let's say a perfectly innocent Amorph has been happily growing and minding its own business. It's had time to form a new tuber of some size but isn't done its growing season - and then a malicious creature comes and chomps off the leaf and exhumes the tuber (but leaves it alone) and the poor tuber sits on the ground all exposed for a few weeks. (The malicious creature *could* have been a squirrel whose own growing season was cut short...) Is that tuber going to want to be replanted to grow a new leaf or will it want to stay dormant until the next growing season? -Ken Mosher -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .

From: Al Wootten <awootten at nrao.edu> on 2004.06.16 at 17:56:02(11630) Hi Ken I had a squirrel commit amorphophallicide in just such a manner--found the A. bulbifer in the gutter about a week later. Mine waited until the next growing season. The leaf was smaller but the plant was basically healthy. +More Clear skies, Al +--------------------------------------------------------+ | Alwyn Wootten (http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/) | | Project Scientist, Atacama Large Millimeter Array/US | | Astronomer, National Radio Astronomy Observatory | | 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903-2475, USA | | (434)-296-0329 voice Help us build The ALMA| | (434)-296-0278 FAX {> {> {> {> | +----------------------------------^-----^-----^-----^---+

From: "Mitch ." <iamwhatiam52 at hotmail.com> on 2004.06.17 at 21:57:48(11632) It has always been my experience that we cannot second guess what the tuber will do. An Amophophallus will do whatever if damn well pleases. I've seen them stay dormant, and I've seen them sprout one or more leaves. Probably best to leave it in the ground to let it do whatever it feels like. Mitch

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