Re: Making bulbils?

From: Paul Tyerman ptyerman at ozemail.com.au> on 2002.06.05 at 06:09:03(8958) > >Just curious whether it is possible to induce (using mechanical or chemical >means such as incisions and/or hormones) bulbil formation in species that >don't normally make them . I'm wondering in particular whether the sorts of >bulbils grown on the leaf axils of certain Amorphophallus species can be >artificially coaxed out of other members of the genus. > Randy, Based on ZERO genetic knowledge of Amorphophallus (but don't they just look SO cool ) I would think that the only way of producing bulbils on a plant that does not normally do this would be to use plants that can be grown from leaf cuttings. I am aware that some species of Amorph can be grown from cuttings from the petioles (although I don't know which species or the method usually used for this) so I would imagine that theoretically this could be used to give the equivallent of "layering" the plant in the air? Many shrubs that can be grown from cuttings can be air layered by nicking the stem, treating with a hormone, and then wrapping the area is sphagnum moss or similar, thereby creating roots at this point and the eventual rooted cutting that can be planted. This is not "bulbil" creation, but I suppose it is linked in some ways. Just some thoughts as I have no knowledge of whether this could be done with Amorphophallus or not, just applying some knowledge from other areas. Cheers. Paul Tyerman +More Canberra, Australia. USDA equivalent - Zone 8/9 mailto:ptyerman@ozemail.com.au Growing.... Galanthus, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Cyclamen, Crocus, Cyrtanthus, Liliums, Hellebores, Aroids, Irises plus just about anything else that doesn't move!!!!!

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