Petal to the Metal

Beautiful Mutants!

2011-06-16T23:43:00.000-04:00

Last year I mutagenized large numbers of A.bulbifer seeds with EMS. It was the right choice because seeds are cheap and abundant, the wrong choice because A. bulbifer does not reproduce sexually, so there is no chance of segregation resulting in homozygousity and related phenotypes in subsequent generations.

However, there always is the possibility that a dominant negative effect can occur. In other words, a mutation that causes a change that results in an effect, even though it only affects one of two copies of the relevant gene. Long story. They tell you about it in Advanced Genetics.

This plant is clearly showing a defect leading to a lack of pigmentation in some of the leaves.

A mutant shows a splotchy leaf pattern.

This is exciting because bulbifer makes bulbils, vegetative outgrowths at leaf margins. If I can get this one big, fast, it might be possible to generate a bulbil that arises 100% from the mutant tissue. We'll see how it goes!

Former Student Inspired to Sniff

2011-05-27T12:19:00.000-04:00

After hearing me go on and on about the coolness of corpse flowers my former student Sasha Ricaurte (now a famous grad student at Michigan State) ventured out to see a blooming titanum in E. Lansing, MI.

To really learn plant biology, sometimes you have to get your nose in it.

I was a postdoc when I first met this creature and it only cultivated my interest in the weirdness of plant evolution, adaptation and ecology. Cool that Sasha got to see (and smell) one first hand!

#1 in 2011- Not a Konjac!

2011-05-15T09:30:00.000-04:00

I must have a bad case of the vapors. The lil' stinker opened and it is not A. konjac, it is A. bulbifer!

A. bulbifer, not A. konjac. It still stinks.

While not the most malodorous of the bunch, it has flowered and I will attempt to pollinate it, even though it this one is allegedly triploid and produces seeds via apomixis.

There are many more that look like flower points sticking out of the ground, so this will be a fun summer!

First of 2011

2011-05-13T13:05:00.000-04:00

And the winner will be... Amorphophallus konjac! This corm is about 0.5 kg and has produced an inflorescence. It has been loosening gradually for a few days and should flower on Saturday, May 14th!

Poised to smell, A. konjac stands ready to flirt with reproduction.

With about 60 corms in the ground there should be a few flowers this year, unfortunately not A. titanum. It is clearly going to be vegetative in 2011. Stay tuned for more pics.

The First Pink Thing

2011-04-22T11:02:00.000-04:00

This is actually about 1.5 cm wide-- maybe a flower?

Amorpho-Mania 2011 is upon us and the first emergence is the growing tip of a 3-year old A. konjac. This year's crop will be lots of fun. Over 100 mutagenized A. bulbifers from 2010 will be back. While unable to breed sexually, their bulbils may exhibit some genetic variation. I will mutagenize 50 A. henryii and 50 A. paeonifolius this year too, so new variations may be upon us.

The challenge right now is the damn squirrels. They dig in the pots and uprooted some pseudodraconium plants. Solutions pending.

A. titanum to Bloom in Ohio

2011-04-20T12:18:00.000-04:00

The Ohio State University in Columbus has a stinky bloom on the way! Curator Joan Leonard has been growing a few of these plants since 2001 and this is the first to bloom. Like most of us that raise A. titanum, the anticipation of the spring bloom from a dormant corm is usually met with disappointment. The disappointment is easy to stomach, as a eight foot tall leaf is reasonably impressive.

But Leonard's careful husbandry has brought this monster to flowering. A full bloom is anticipated in May.

The Ironic Corpse of the Corpse Flower

2010-12-05T17:45:00.002-05:00

As noted previously, my Amorphophallus titanum has completed its annual vegetative cycle. In a rush to beat the impending cold, the massive amounts of carbohydrates assimilated over the summer season retreated down the leaf and into the corm, the underground storehouse that harbors the plant's macromolecules until they are put into work again next spring.

The shriveled remains of the majestic plant, that one day will rise again.

It is really amazing to see the process unfold. That single growing point on top of a bulb erupts into a column of tightly interlaced leaves and petiolules. It expands to make the two meter tall plant (seen here on 7-20-2010, still expanding) then it takes the whole summer's work of photochemical work and shoves that fixed carbon underground.

WHY??? The corpse flower is a shadow of her former self.

Like when the frogs stop chirping in the back yard, weird migratory birds gather on the feeder or nights that require a heater, the senescence of the Amoprhophallus titanum reminds us of seasonal flux.

For me, it brings great anticipation of exhuming the corm, prepping it for a long winter nap, then dreaming of the possibility that it just might flower next year.

The Corpse Flower Takes a Dirt Nap

2010-11-28T07:30:00.006-05:00

Calendar-Schmalender. When you live in paradise you have to pay attention to subtle cues from the environment to remind you of seasonal time. We don't have the freezing nights or falling leaves. Instead, we have to rely on changes in our surroundings that beacon a change of season.

Last night Orion sat perched on the horizon, and if you listened carefully in the still night you could hear sandhill cranes getting excited about reaching their winter destination. These are the gentle reminders that our "winter" is near.

One of the more obvious cues is the seasonal senescence of the Amorphophallus plants in by yard. This last week the big one, Amorphophallus titanum, decided to call it quits for the year. Its recently majestic canopy grew flaccid and eventually the whole plant got skinny, brown, and collapsed.

I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!
Once standing two meters tall, my

Amorphophallus titanum bids adieu to 2010.

This is natural and expected. The carbohydrates synthesized in the leaves and petiole were mobilized below soil to grow the corm. Sometime in the next few weeks I'll unearth the darn thing and see how much it grew over the last year. It was 14 lbs when it went in.

Of course, the goal is to get it to flower. Even though it looks pathetic now, next June it may surprise us!

See you next year, cool plant.

Backyard Bloom - Amorphophallus atrovirdis

2010-07-24T10:02:00.000-04:00

In the shadow of two major Amorphophallus titanum blooms in the USA, a little weird structure pushes from the soil in a Gainesville, FL backyard. Turns out that it is my backyard and the little structure is the inflorescence of Amoprhophallus atrovirdis. In sync with A. titanum at the Houston Museum of Natural Science ('Lois'), this little nameless stinker decided to go reproductive.

A. atrovirdis, flowering. July 2010.

A fly's-eye view into the sink pot.

A. atrovirdis is always the last to emerge and the last to flower. This year is no exception. The plant isn't too big or too smelly and the spadix keeps elongating.

There is something else too that I'll write about next time. A very unusual phenomenon is happening and it will take a year to sort it out- at least until it flowers next time.

Lois Flowers; Bride Not Impressed

2010-07-23T07:29:00.002-04:00

Lois, the Amorphophallus titanum in Houston, finally decided to open its spathe. At the same time Jessica Zabala is gearing up for her big day. The gear better include gas masks.

See, Jessica is a bride to be, getting married on Saturday in the museum. In an article in the Houston Chronicle, she doesn't seem too pleased about the possibility of stating her vows in the midst of the foul stench of death. I guess I understand, but is she making a crisis out of an opportunity?

If I were Jessica I'd be playing to the plant. Thousands of people have followed it on Twitter and on the web. The webcam is crushed with visitors. Jessica, this is the perfect wedding gift!

In the interest of turning lemons into lemonade, get a gas mask company to sponsor the event. Put respirators on the wedding party and religious official. Get Glade to donate thousands of air fresheners if they pick up the cost of your wedding. It will get national coverage, you'll look brilliant rather than bridezilla.

Unlike a wedding for a 23 year old, seeing an Amorphophallus titanum bloom is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Long after the roses have wilted, the cake is gone and the guests sobered up, the fact that you had an important life milestone in the presence of one of nature's wonders will make your day most memorable. This is an amazing opportunity, and I hope you take it.

My Amorphophallus titanum

2010-07-20T13:13:00.000-04:00

All of this talk of others' plants and no pictures of mine. Here's my Amorphophallus titanum. It is the crown jewel of my collection of corpse flowers.

That's me, and Big Stinkie. An a chair.

The corm on this plant was 14 lbs this winter and did not generate a leaf until well into June. It has reached a terminal height and fully expanded its canopy really just this morning. Maybe a flower next year.

Lois' Little Cousin

2010-07-18T08:07:00.000-04:00

While all of the buzz in Houston is the Amorphophallus titanum 'Lois', her smelly little cousin was quietly emerging in my back yard. This one does not have a pet name, but the scientific name is Amorphophallus atrovirdis, translated to "dark green misshapen penis". See a doctor and get rid of it.

This little stinker is only a few inches tall, but has the same

architecture of inflorescence. You can clearly

see the spadix, surrounded by a small spathe.

This species always is the last to emerge in the garden. Here we are all the way in mid-July and they are just peeking out. One is vegetative, the other reproductive, so I'll show pictures of that later this week. The smell of rotten meat will soon invade my garden again.

Lois Not Opening in Houston

2010-07-17T08:54:00.001-04:00

The Twitter feed shows a huge number of people following this phenomenon. An Amorphophallus titanum inflorescence is standing ready to emit the pungent stench of biology- only the plant ("Lois") stands frozen and statuesque. At least it is more exciting than the World Cup.

Resident plant guy Zac uses bananas to add ethylene

to the mix- maybe to get Lois to open.

Photo from The Houston Chronicle- Julio Cortez

Why hasn't it flowered? This is a question that everyone seems to be asking and is a great opportunity for us to think about the biological reasons of why it hasn't.

Photoperiod- The Houston Museum of Natural Science has done an amazing job accommodating the public through expanded hours and the web. This requires constant lighting and maybe this is hindering the opening. In many plants flower opening is ethylene controlled and controlled in a diurnal fashion to coordinate opening with pollinator availability.

Nutrition- Flowering is energetically expensive. If that corm is not ready to spend a huge amount of carbohydrates to heat that spadix and volatilize the smelly compounds, it isn't going to commit.

Temperature- In the air conditioned museum the plant is at the low end of its natural tropical temperature range. Most of these I've seen (or in my yard) they are in constant heat and hot/warm (day/night) cycles.

Just a few thoughts on why Lois is holding back. There absolutely is a reason.

"Lois" Flowers in Houston

2010-07-14T14:54:00.001-04:00

Oh the joy of reliving the coolest botanical moment ever, even from a distance. An Amorphophallus titanum is opening anytime at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The plant is on display in the Cockrell Butterfly Center. He/She has stopped growing and is getting pink on the outside of the spathe. I wish I was there to smell it.

Lois is ready to unleash her putrid stench.

The Houston Museum for Natural Science should be commended on how it has quickly built such a buzz about this event. It is a great way to get people in touch with plant science and a wonderful way to inspire children and young adults about the wonders of science in general.

These events are getting less rare- it seems like this is the 5th or 6th one this year.

Fungicide and Prophylaxis

2010-06-28T18:38:00.000-04:00

This spring was unusually wet and I lost four really nice bulbs to rot. Sure, I overwatered a bit, but it was spring, and the water helps plants grow, right?

To avoid further issues into the heat of summer I thought about applying a prophylactic fungicide. There is limited information on this on the internets, so I thought I'd give my two cents.

Chlorothalonil works by binding glutathione. Glutathione-dependent enzymes associated with key metabolic functions can't catalyze their reactions. This is especially toxic to fungi, but also to fish and frogs, so I was not thrilled to get the stuff into my local environment (where I have fish and frogs).

I used the prescription for lilies, which is the same for just about any bulb-based ornamentals, 1 tablespoon per gallon (about 4 ml per liter for those that prefer real measurements) of Daconil, a store-based brand of chlorothalonil.

I applied this as a foliar application as well as a root drench.

We'll see what happens. The biggest fear is Southern Blight, but other problems persist as well.

Mutagenesis I- Follow Up

2010-06-27T20:34:00.000-04:00

Although the photo from May 29 shows a clear difference in germination timing, the plants all emerged and appear roughly equivalent from all treatments. There are some short-and-stubbies in each treatment class, so it is unclear if this is simply variation in the seed lot or true effects of EMS.

One interesting observation is that the lines treated with EMS seem to be taller and more vigorous than those that were not treated. This is strange, especially based on the germination timing. I'm guessing that this is the result of one of two occurrences. First, maybe some mutation load actually kicks in compensatory mechanisms and makes these plants grown better. Second, the plants that were slow to germinate did the majority of their growth and development under natural sunlight, so if there is a 'rapid growth' window they were in better conditions to exploit it.

The bottom line is that I did not approach any significant lethality, so I repeated the experiment with higher amounts of EMS, this time 0, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%. After one month the 0% plants are tall and healthy, the 1%-ers are starting and the others have yet to emerge. I think this will establish the lethal range of the experiment and maybe give some cool mutants.

Amorphopallus titanum in East Lansing

2010-06-15T04:05:00.000-04:00

When it rains it pours, and that's at least three A.titanums blooming in 2010. The latest one is in East Lansing on the Michigan State University campus. MSU has a lot of great stuff, including one of the world's best plant science faculties. You'd figure that they'd have one of the world's strangest plants.

This plant flowered with little fanfare. I just got my Google News notification that a new Amorpho-T was already in full bloom. I wrote an email to one of my former students (now working on a Ph.D at MSU). She's probably already seen/smelt it.

MSU should have fired up the t-shirt concession stand and played this up a bit more. It is an amazing way for a university to connect with a community and possibly spark the interest of plant science in a new generation.

Mutagenesis Works

2010-05-29T14:56:00.001-04:00

Conclusion- when you treat seeds with mutagenic chemicals plants lose vigor in a dose-dependent manner.

The picture below shows the results. The germination rates were approximately the same, so we are not at the lethal level yet. The next experiments will test that limit. The current experiment shows that the seeds are not as fragile as anticipated. Four weeks ago these seeds were mutagenized with different concentrations of EMS for two hours and placed into soil. Today you can clearly see the difference in vigor generated by that genetic load.

The plants on the left received only water. The next set 0.1% EMS. The next 0.1%, then 0.25% then 1%.

The plants are clearly affected at 0.25%, but even at 1% there is minimal lethality.

Only one plant in the 1.00% pool has expanded leaves, so it is seriously impaired. The next trial will repeat these findings and expand the study.

Something Stinks at the Huntington

2010-05-26T12:39:00.000-04:00

The Huntington Library's second bloom in two years!

Check that planter for a horseshoe, or maybe botanists

that are highly skilled in A. titanum culture.

Last year the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA experienced the blooming of an Amorphophallus titanum. Again this year they will see another bloom. Clearly the folks there know how to make a big stinky plant all randy and itchy to pollinate!

Not Fungus!

2010-05-25T12:26:00.000-04:00

The jock-itch solution didn't work, as the corm continued to deteriorate. It was the same liquefaction of the tissue, leaving it as a soft brown paste.

I took an alternative strategy and hit the nail on the head. Instead of an anti-fungal I used an anti-bacterial. The necrotic tissue was cut away and a generous coating of neosporin ointment was applied. This is the brand name for a triple antibiotic formula available over the counter.

The first observations indicate that this was a bacterial manifestation. After 3 days the tissue is browning, but maybe in a good way. It is not soft. Updates pending!

Bulb Rot - Soft Spots - Konjac itch

2010-05-20T10:40:00.000-04:00

One major problem with growing Amorphohaphallus plants is bulb rot. I've lost a few over the last year, either because the pot I had them in had no drain holes, the soil was too wet or the bulb rotted during storage. Despite the incredible damage this must cause, there is scant information on the web to remedy the problem. Some recommend a dusting of sulfur prior to storage, or to cut out soft spots and dust with sulfur. Why not?

I thought I'd be a little more methodical. I had a 200 g bulb in soil that was not draining well. It was a little too wet and as the shoot emerged it died back, suggesting bulb rot. Shoo nuff, when I stuck my fingers into the soil I found a bulb and part of it was goo- a lot of it was goo. Probably 30-40%.

I cleaned away the goo under running water and removed the roots. I cut away the rotten growing point down to clean tissue (with the texture of an apple or potato rather than tapioca). Instead of sulfur, I ran to Walgreens and bought a bottle of Zeasorb AF.

Why that stuff? It is made to cover a series of fungal infections, from jock itch to athlete's foot to ringworm. It works with a very proven mechanism of action- attacking synthesis of the fungal cell wall, namely by inhibiting synthesis of ergosterol. Ergosterol is a selective target because it is not found in plants (or humans for that matter) so we can use this antifungal.

Here's the victim after soft parts were washed away.

Here you can easily visualize the damage. The growing point is cut back and the soft parts were removed with surgical precision, being careful to remove all soft areas.

This is the same bulb covered in the powder. At least it won't get jock itch.

Again, this is a test. I covered the bulb in the stuff and put it into a container with peat and a little water. Let's see if she heals. At least I had the fun of sitting akimbo on the Walgreens floor in front of the jock itch and athlete's foot products, reading each one. They aren't cheap either, but I think they are cheaper than losing a prized bulb, so this is a good test of how to possibly save a soft specimen. I lost an A. titanum corm over the winter to rot, so I've been touched by the loss and want a solution.

Germination Update

2010-05-19T11:17:00.000-04:00

Soils have been erupting over the last eight days as new plants are emerging daily. At this point we just surpassed 50% germination, so I'm starting to ventilate the plants and dry out the moist soil.

Here's what the rate looks like. About eight new seedlings emerge every day over the course of the last week.

When broken down by treatment I think I'm starting to see a treatment effect in the 1.0% set. Fewer plants have emerged and those that have are certainly lagging behind the others in terms of their growth out of the soil (just estimated by eye).

Almost 100% of the 0.1% set have germinated (20/22 planted). The others that lag come from pots that had no germination, except for the 1.0% set that are just slow to get going. I'm a bit concerned that these were infected with fungus or possibly that these were affected by some local problem with water or light. I'll give them two more days- they may just be slow.

The good news is that the show is about to begin! I've prepared pots at home to receive the 100 plants and grow them out for the summer.

It is also interesting to note that two of the seven 1.0% plants appear very pale in their coleoptiles compared to their neighbors. We may be onto something.

Emerging Plants

2010-05-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

This is what germination of Amorphophallus looks like. I planted seeds in clean sterile soil and watered them until soaking. I kept them under a humidity dome on 16 h light, 8 h dark, and within 12 days some were emerging.

Germination rates

2010-05-15T11:57:00.000-04:00

So far things look promising. The first graph shows the total number of germinating seedlings, scored as 'germinated' when the emerging leaf sheath breaks soil. As of today 38 of 120 seedlings have germinated.

This graph simply shows the the number of germinated seeds as a function of the total planted. It gives some idea of the general rate of germination.

The more important information comes from how each class of treated seeds performs, that is, how powerful is the mutagenesis and is there lethality?

The data in this graph plot germination versus the concentration of EMS (%). The good news is that all treatments show some germination, the 1% being the lowest. Still, with tiny numbers there is not much that can be understood statistically, but it is interesting to note that the highest EMS didn't kill everything. Actually, the 1% and 0% are about the same, so even the no treatment control is slow off the blocks. At this point roughly 1/3 of all seeds have germinated. Over the next few days we'll watch for mutations in the emerging materials.

D'oh! Apomixis!

2010-05-12T08:46:00.002-04:00

My brilliant plan to mutagenize Amorphos came to a screeching halt when stupid facts got in the way of my plan. A little voice in my head (not the typical ones) from my Ph.D. advisor said, "Measure twice, cut once" and I can get it to stop.

The problem is that I used the only seeds I could get, Amorphophallus bulbifer. It turns out that this plant does not reproduce sexually, but instead uses a reproductive strategy that essentially throws clones. No meiosis! I knew that some Amporphos were apomictic, but I figured what are the odds it is this one? Heck, everyone grows bulbifer. Of course, that's because the seeds are not made from pollination, so you get quite a few.

On the dull side, when using EMS we are introducing mutations to generate heterozygousity at jillions of loci, so these will just make plants that lack vigor. On the bright side I will define a good curve for tolerance of EMS that should be applicable to other species. There will be something learned here, and it still is possible that there will be phenotypes. We'll see!

Smelly Sunday

2010-05-02T07:25:00.001-04:00

It is said that April showers bring May flowers. This morning I was greeted by the foul stench of something dead in the yard only to reveal that it was the result of something very much alive!

The first bloom this year is an Amorphophallus konjac, a small one. The corum was 156 g about a month ago and it was showing signs of breaking dormancy early. Good thing I stuck it in soil.

Stinkie (top) and Xeenah (bottom) search for the source of the smell.

This is the first of many. Last night it got down to 77°F, so nights are warm and days are hot. Dormancy is officially done. Many plants in soil have made loads of roots and we should see shoots emerging soon.

Making Beautiful Mutants

2010-05-01T14:59:00.002-04:00

In an attempt to interject new genetic variation into Amorphophallus plants, I have undertaken a new approach to mutation breeding, as discussed yesterday.

The process started with 120 seeds obtained from Whatcom Seed company. These are Amorphophallus bulbifer, a weirdo plant already, now with the opportunity to get weirder via chemical mutagenesis.

The seeds are not traditional seeds at all. They lack seed coats and endosperm and almost look like small corums. These had white growing points emerging along with root primordia, so they were ready to rock and roll. My guess is that these will be extremely fragile and susceptible to damage from the mutagen, EMS. This is good because many mutations will be induced. This is bad because it just may kill everything.

Do Not Try This at Home! The bottle clearly shows that EMS is a potent carcinogen that should only be handled by pirates.

The best approach is to test a series of EMS concentrations with a no EMS control. The small corums were split into five groups of 24 and each was washed with sterile distilled water. Plant tissues remained in 10 ml of 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) in 50 ml tubes for 30 minutes to completely wet the materials. EMS was added to the solution at concentrations of 0%, 0.01%, 0.10%, 0.25% and 1.00%.

The corums were incubated for two hours. The EMS was removed and inactivated. The corums were rinsed with large volumes (at least 10 rinses) of sterile distilled water, and then were allowed to dry under gentle flowing air.

The corums were then planted into moist Fafard 4p potting media and covered with plastic to maintain humidity.

Now we wait to see what crazy weirdness may emerge.

Amorphophallus Mutagenesis

2010-04-30T12:52:00.001-04:00

Mutation breeding is frequently employed by plant breeders to generate genetic variation that can affect traits of interest. A variety of chemical or energetic mutagens have been used to bombard seeds or embryonic tissues to change traits in the subsequently developing plants.

I've been very interested in generating mutants in Amorphophallus species. Such variants may have unique horticultural or other ornamental value, as these variants present unusual colors, stature or perhaps odors. Last year I subjected a series of mature corums to gamma radiation from a Cobalt 60 source at a variety of energy levels, resulting in 10-60 Gy treatment. None of the tissues survived, except controls.

This year I am attempting a different form of mutagenesis, this time using ethane methyl sulfonate, or EMS. EMS mutagenesis works by creating direct changes in DNA bases. Specifically, the ethyl group attacks quanine, changing it to O-ethyl guanine (the "G" in a DNA strand). It does this pretty infrequently, but occasionally. In subsequent rounds of replication the error is recognized as an "A", so the G:C pair in the double helix becomes an A:T pair. For those molecular biology geeks out there you can see how this can potentially affect codon usage in subsequent generations, possibly even generating premature stop codons that could radically affect protein performance. This is how the magic works.

The young embryonic plant is usually a cluster of a few dozen cells, so by hitting them with EMS you can induce a spectrum of outcomes. The resulting plants can have defects in specific cell layers or tissues. In other words, the resulting plants are chimeras of crazy errors.

Ultimately, the idea is to treat with amounts of EMS that do not kill the tissue (which is pretty easy to do) but instead just impart maximum survivable damage. The hope is that some of the errors will be incorporated into the genes of a fertile plant that upon self-fertilization will lead to (for you Medel fans out there) homozygousity at any given change. The homozygousity might change a gene, or genes, resulting in new phenotypes.

The desired changes may only happen in parts of the plant, so tissue culture may later be employed to generate new plants entirely from tissues arising from single cell type.

Of course, this is only the first step. Even if the mutagenized plants grow it will be next year before tissue culture is possible and several years before they are selfed and then years after that before we see the results of the mutagenesis. That's why these are long-term projects.

Tomorrow I'll present the details of step one of the process.

Amorphophallus konjac, A Haiku

2010-04-30T00:25:00.000-04:00

The inflorescence grows tall,

The stink glands are ripe,

Soon it will make the death stench.

AmorphoMania 2010

2010-04-22T07:43:00.001-04:00

For the most part the dormant corums experienced a normal winter. For them, it means sitting in slightly moist soilless mix in a cooler behind the house. They get some chilling as our nights get cool in the winter, typically 30-50°F (-1-10°C).

This year was a cold one in Florida and maybe they aren't liking the cold so much. Even now the night temps are cool. About a month ago I moved all corums to new pots and fresh soil. Within two weeks only three popped up, one an A.konjac, another an A. bulbifer and another is unknown.

They all emerged, then basically arrested. They are elongating, but in millimeters per day rather than centimeters. Usually these rocket from the soil. My guess is that the cold night temperatures are holding them back. We get warm days, maybe highs as usual, but the night temps are still cool. Last night we were down at 50°F again.

The good news is that the one A. konjac looks like a spadix is present (above). It is pointy and not leafy like a vegetative emergence. The question is, when will they finally come out of soil? When will those that started really take off?

My guess is cool nights. When we get a few in the 60's we'll peek again.

Tindara Orchids and Amazing Amorphos

2010-03-23T13:16:00.000-04:00

In late 2009 we had a lot of rain and my Amorphophallus titanum bulb must have gotten a bit too wet. It looked fine when I stored it for dormancy, but upon inspection this spring it was mush. The top of the bulb was wet brown goo. There were soft spots all the way around. Apparently there was a pathogen that went undetected and it decimated the corum.

While I cut off most of the gooey parts, the bulb probably will not offer new meristems. These things do surprise us, so I'm hopeful that it might grow again.

In the meantime I wanted to find a new A.titanum. I found one at Tindara Orchids. Their specialist has had great success with this species, claiming thirty-eight successful bloomings since 2006. That's amazing, as there probably have been well under 100 in captivity in total.

I had a nice email conversation with their staff expert and he kindly forwarded some photos. Here's one...

The flower is amazing, but what really blows me away are the massive petioles in the foreground and background. These are like trees!

Whatever they are doing to grow these things they are doing it right. It is one of the most amazing flowers in the world, a difficult one to grow, but this guy has it mastered to a science.

Amorphophallus titanum in MO

2010-03-06T15:22:00.000-05:00

Today Springfield MO is treated to one of the most excellent and amazing feats of nature- the blooming of the Amorphophallus titanum. It is blooming at the Close Memorial Garden, and if it were just a bit closer I'd probably go check it out.

Ready to get stinky! The spathe is wrapped tightly around the spadix!

Sadly, my titanum is dormant and looks kind of dry. I don't see an active dormant meristem and I'm concerned that the cold did it in. I kept all of my bulbs outside in a cooler so that they could get a dose of cold treatment before the 2010 season. All of the bulbifer, konjac and others look pretty good. Titanum may be in trouble. More later!

Amorphophallus titanum in CA

2009-06-19T06:49:00.002-04:00

The amazing king of the corpse flowers has bloomed at the Huntington Botanical Garden in San Marino CA. The place smelled like Casey Anthony's trunk!

Amorphophallus bulbifer Flowers!

2009-06-16T07:48:00.005-04:00

My brain was hazy from sleeping meds when my dog woke me up and wanted to go outside. I stumbled into the crisp morning air and noted a pungent stench that violated it. After checking my shoes for dog yummies I glanced to my left to see a crazy little flower looking back at me.

Amorphophallus bulbifer has flowered and greeted the glorious new day with a steady emission of putrid stench. It was a nice surprise because only yesterday it was tightly folded with a little sliver of white visible.

What a cool way to start the day.

Amorphophallus paeonifolius Flowers

2009-06-14T20:54:00.004-04:00

One of the freakiest flowers (actually an inflorescence, a composite organ hosting many flower parts) around, that of Amorphophallus paeonifolius, is blooming happily in Kanapaha Botanical Garden in Gainesville, FL. The vegetative phase is a single leaf standing about 2 meters tall. This is the flower. It pops up sometimes depending on the developmental and nutritional state of the underground corum.

These plants are native to SE Asia and emit a stinky smell up on flowering. I have a few of these in my yard, but they are still a bit young. The robust growth of these in Gainesville, FL illustrates that they tolerate some cold (we're Zone 9B) and flower in June.