Am. mossambicensis

[SlipperKing]

Another fun critter to grow! HOS member and friend's plant. He claims vultures were circling his greenhouse!


Then Don's plant, Amorphallis titamum is ready to open any day

 

[eds]

Wow! Growing a titan arum as a hobbiest is an amazing achievement!

I only grow A.kiusianus and it is still a way off flowering.

 

[SlipperKing]

I think this is his 3rd time blooming it in as many years. The first year Don took to the Museum of natural history and science for display. It was a big hit, sort of speaking. He also tried to cross pollinate with the Huntington Gardens plant but it didn't take either way.

 

[musa]

Absolutly great to see an Amorphophallus titanum blooming in a private collection!
Do you have any information how high the leave had been and about the weight of the bulb before blooming?
Michael

 

[likespaphs]

That's fantastic!
I'm a big fan of Amorphophallus, but no longer have any

 

[musa]

Titanum, the biggest Amorphphallus, will probably never bloom in my flat, so I show you one of the smallest: A. claudelii
It's just a few cm high.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Breath deep, the gathering gloom...

 

[DrLeslieEe]

Wow impressive!

 

[Guldal]

Most interesting!

I had to look up the etymology of the name of this genus, and it actually did mean, what I, a bit hessitantly, thought:
"Amorphophallus (from Ancient Greek amorphos, "without form, misshapen" + phallos, "penis", referring to the shape of the prominent spadix)".

Wouldn't then Am. titanum litteraly translated be: the misshapen, titan cock (pardon my french!)? And Am. mossambiciensis: ditto from Mozambique (Zimbabwe)? I somewhat wish I could delete the images forming on my inner screen!

I guess, the vultures where attracted by the sweet scent of the flowers (sweet...that is, if you are a vulture!)?

 

[SlipperKing]

UPDATE:
Yesterday morning

Yesterday evening


Looking down into this huge funnel! Yellow dots are the female flowers. Don had pollen from a plant blooming in Minnesota so he cut windows in the sides of this purple brac to deliver the goods