Amorphophallus titanum bloom
Paul T. (Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:32:48 PDT)
At 06:22 AM 18/06/2009, you wrote:
How interesting that these are going to bloom up in Berkeley and down at
the Huntington (any day now) at virtually the same time despite the fact
that both are being grown in greenhouses under completely controlled
climate conditions. The only thing neither location really controls is
sunlight (intensity, duration, angle, etc.).
Lee,
Apparently plants in the wild side-by-side can flower at totally
different times of year. I was reading about them a few years ago
and there seems to be no distinct reason why they flower or produce
leaves.... they just do it at whatever time suits them. Each leaf
can live for about 18 months, followed by a couple of months dormancy
and then either another leaf or a flower. It doesn't seem to be
anything to do with climate, in that the time of year is irrelevant
and the plant just does it's own thing whenver it feels like
it. They are absolutely fascinating plants!!
Cheers.
Paul T.
Canberra, Australia - USDA Zone Equivalent approx. 8/9
Growing an eclectic collection of plants from all over the world
including Aroids, Crocus, Cyclamen, Erythroniums, Fritillarias,
Galanthus, Irises, Trilliums (to name but a few) and just about
anything else that doesn't move!!