# Amorphophallus



## musa (May 15, 2019)

Amorphophallus bangkokensis:

As the flower (diameter abt. 20 cm) is a little bit smelly it had to go under a glass cover.
The photos were taken a bit late, so the pollen were already produces as you can see on the last pic.


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## abax (May 15, 2019)

Amazing plant and I've heard about the odor,
but never personally encountered one in bloom.
Does it smell of death/decay? It's actually quite
attractive in full bloom. Congratulations!


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## musa (May 16, 2019)

The bangkokensis is not too smelly. What I thought was the foreboding of the horrible smell during the fertility of the blooms was already its peak, so I was too late to pollinate it. The female blooms lose fertility after one day when the pollen starts to be produced, to prevent selfpollination.
Lots of Amorphophallus species (e.g. ferruginosus which I showed already) doesen't smell at all, others are very bad like konjac or titanum. 

The worst smell in my opinion has A. henryi, but it is beautyful.
I had one blooming some days ago:





Some years ago I made better photos and pollinated successfully.






The apex of the spadix is for the smell, it gets hot for better evaporation, the overlightet part underneth are the anthers and at the bottom are the stigmas


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## xiphius (May 16, 2019)

Nice! That looks really well grown. Congrats on the beautiful bloom! These have always fascinated me, but I've never really had the space, or the time, (...yet ) to try them. How do you culture them?


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## abax (May 16, 2019)

I have encountered this one and it's a fascinating
plant and has a very, rather odd appeal. However,
the smell is overwhelming up close...whooooo!!!


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## musa (May 17, 2019)

abax, with a jar bell the smell is no problem at all.
xiphius, space is not really a problem as there are very small species, too, like myosuroides and ongsakulii (10 cm) which are already blooming here. I'll take some photos soon.
The care is quite easy, I keep them with my orchids, what gives my flat a bit a junglelike appearence and climate, the paphs like it. In winter (resting periode) the bulbs are stored completeley dry in a box, except some species (like titanum and lambii) which has to be kept wet all the time. The first group I keep in soil, the later one in sphagnum.


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## xiphius (May 19, 2019)

musa said:


> abax, with a jar bell the smell is no problem at all.
> xiphius, space is not really a problem as there are very small species, too, like myosuroides and ongsakulii (10 cm) which are already blooming here. I'll take some photos soon.
> The care is quite easy, I keep them with my orchids, what gives my flat a bit a junglelike appearence and climate, the paphs like it. In winter (resting periode) the bulbs are stored completeley dry in a box, except some species (like titanum and lambii) which has to be kept wet all the time. The first group I keep in soil, the later one in sphagnum.



Cool. Perhaps I'll give them another look. Do you keep them in the pot for dormancy, or dig them up? If you dig them up, I assume you check them and then repot when they start to sprout?


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## musa (May 20, 2019)

You are absolutely right, I dig them up and store them in a box during resting period, when the flower appears in spring it doesen't need necessaryly any soil (see photo of A. ferruginosus). Except the species which has to be kept wet all the time.


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## xiphius (May 21, 2019)

Interesting! Thanks for all the tips!


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## Marco Giovanni Motta (May 22, 2019)

Look here
https://www.facebook.com/groups/amorphophallus/


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## musa (May 23, 2019)

A lot of information you find here:
http://www.amorphophallus-forum.de/
It's german but there is a translation tool.


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## NYEric (May 28, 2019)

Nice. Thanks for the info.


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## musa (May 29, 2019)

As promised here are pics of two smaller species:


Amorphophallus ongsakulii,
it reaches about 10cm and has very nice leaves:






Amorphophallus myosuroides,
it reaches about 20 - 25 cm with white flowers and a very long spadix:


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## Tom-DE (Jun 7, 2019)

Interesting plants!


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## musa (Jun 7, 2019)

Hello Tom,
in Salzburg soon there is blooming the most fascinating Amorphophallus titanum, by your Name I suppose that could be within your reach, otherwise everybody can follow the emerging of the flower online:

https://uni-salzburg.at/index.php?id=210019





PS: I'm not sure if it is OK by forum policy to link a Botanical Garden, if not please remove it. Thanks


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## Tom-DE (Jun 7, 2019)

Michael, I am living in state of Delaware(DE), U.S.
Salzburg is a beautiful place. I will be visiting Salzburg again next May(2020)...hopefully we will have some extra time to see the Botanical Garden. 

Thank you for the link. I am pretty sure it is okay to do that.


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## musa (Jun 8, 2019)

Ops, sorry, that might be al little too far, DE sounded like Germany to me...


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## musa (Jun 11, 2019)

Amorphophallus claudelii, my smallest aroid is blooming for the first time:


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## BrucherT (Jun 11, 2019)

Do you count Arisaema among your Aroid plants? I have A. dracontium and A. triphyllum.


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## musa (Jun 12, 2019)

No, I have restricted myself to genus Amorphophallus, that is excessive enough for a windowsill grower like me. Have done the same with Paphs, I have no South American slippers.
A. triphyllum has a very beautyful bloom, I was already tempted but still resisting...


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## musa (Oct 13, 2020)

A little bit out of time I had two more Amorphophallus flowering:

A. verticillatus (one of the few evergreen Amorphophallus):





A. glossophyllus:


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## NYEric (Oct 13, 2020)

Too cool. Thanks for sharing. There's always room for more orchids!


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## likespaphs (Oct 17, 2020)

I do love Amorphophallus (and some other aroid).


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## musa (Mar 6, 2021)

With tropical Amorphophallus there is always harvesting time...
Two Amorphophallus gigas:


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## Linus_Cello (Mar 6, 2021)

An interesting YouTube talk on Alan Galloway:


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## musa (Mar 7, 2021)

Thanks Linus for that great video! Several of my species are from Alan. Soon I'll get another species from his collection. I get it in return for a contribution to the ongoing care for his collection since he tragically died last year. His website and his collection won't be lost in future.
Have you noticed the background of Jason? It proofs that aroids and slippers go well together...


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## Linus_Cello (Mar 7, 2021)

musa said:


> Have you noticed the background of Jason? It proofs that aroids and slippers go well together...



maybe plastic slippers? The leaves looked more like phal ...

no interest in a house and property in the USA-NC?


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## musa (Mar 7, 2021)

That house and garden would be great, unfortunately by distance a little unconveniant for daily watering...


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## Guldal (Mar 8, 2021)

musa said:


> With tropical Amorphophallus there is always harvesting time...


"Harvesting time"? You eat it?!


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## Linus_Cello (Mar 8, 2021)

Guldal said:


> "Harvesting time"? You eat it?!



I think it's not bad. Decent diet food. Here's the full 30 minute episode on Konnyaku (from Trails to Oishii Tokyo; the official version is 10 minutes):


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## musa (Mar 8, 2021)

Oh no, these are gigas, they are harvested measured and repotted. To eat them would be quite an expensive and untasty meal.
For eating mainly paeonifolius and konjac are used and I don't have these species any more... no I didn't eat them, I gave them away, kids love to see them growing!


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## musa (Apr 13, 2021)

It looks like Amorphophallus borneensis will bloom soon...


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## musa (Apr 18, 2021)

...the story goes on...


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## musa (Apr 26, 2021)

finally it is done! and the best thing is that it is not smelly as expected. To scent the putrid smell I have to stick my nose inside the spatha, 1 meter away it is absolutely neutral.

Amorphophallus borneensis: Total hight without pot: 150cm; flower hight: 69cm


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