On 8 Jun 2009, at 14:15, Jim McKenney wrote: > Dracunculus vulgaris is blooming today. My Arum dioscorides is undoubtedly stinkier than your Dracunculus vulgaris! [Yes, dear reader, if you hear one little boy boasting that his X is Y-er than another little boy's X, you hear right. X and Y take on many different values, some of which, unfortunately, aren't suitable for a family-oriented mailing list.] Instead of rotting flesh, it smells like a compost heap that has been over- watered and under-aerated and has, in consequence, gone to the dark side. The flowers don't last long. Next year I'm going to try cutting one and hosing it off to see if might be possible in a vase. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island http://maps.google.ca/maps/…