Amorphophallus titanum at Selby - update

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 1999.05.18 at 18:55:19(3370) Amorphophallus titanum update from Selby: For all of you Amorphophiles, our larger A. titanum bud dropped its cataphylls yesterday afternoon about 2PM. We are anticipating that the spathe will begin to open up more throughout today and Wednesday (it is showing much more red coloration around the edges now), and by Thursday, we will start to see the spathe opening up and maybe get a whiff of that wonderful aroma by late Thursday or Friday. We are now predicting full spathe opening will occur anywhere from 3-5 days from now, based upon records from previous flowerings at Fairchild and Atlanta. The full opening is not easy to pinpoint. Virtually everyone wants to know and we can't possibly give an exact date, but stayed tuned to our web site (www.selby.org) or call our Amorphophallus Hotline at (941) 366-2815. I am updating this recorded message each morning, usually around 9:30 -10 AM. We have a second, smaller flower that should be opening a couple of days after the first one, so we will try to pollinate this second inflorescence with pollen from the first. I have just learned that Leiden has already set seed on one of their A. titanum. We will have to get those details from Wilbert. Both plants are on display side-by-side in our Fernery Trellis area just outside the Display House. I hope some of you can make it here to see these two astounding monsters blooming together! More soon, Donna Atwood Selby Gardens +More 811 S. Palm Ave. Sarasota, FL 34236 phone: (941) 954-1237 fax: (941) 366-9807 e-mail: selbyhort@aol.com

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 1999.05.24 at 03:20:46(3394) News from Selby Gardens - Amorphophallus titanum update: After our first A. titanum opening on Thursday evening, May 20, we came back early the next morning to set up for crowds and to watch this wonderful specimen in all its glory, fully expanded throughout the day. The spathe extended to a diameter of 42 inches at maximum expansion and held there beautifully through the whole day. Huge crowds came to see it and I can't even begin to imagine the quantities of film that were shot over the next 48 hours. The press and several professional photographers arrived very early Friday morning so they could set up all their paraphernalia and get the shots they wanted, then scoot out of the way for the general public. I must add that it takes a rather large space to display this plant in full flower, and we had a difficult time finding a suitable location, but somehow it all worked and I think everyone who viewed the inflorescence came away pretty satisfied with the experience. The female flowers were receptive Thursday night, when the odor was most intense, and through all of the day Friday. The smell had thankfully diminished from the previous evening, but was still available in a milder form to tantalize the audience, who fully expected to catch a good whiff. By the end of the day, the odor had diminished even more, but those with sensitive noses still commented upon the stink. Waves of odor wafted throughout the lines waiting to get up into the viewing area. I don't think anyone complained about not getting a sniff, but those of us who had experienced the full power on Thursday evening during the opening were all grateful that the crowds only had the tame version. I think most of the audience would not have tolerated the maximum dose! Harry Luther checked the inflorescence periodically throughout the day for pollen, but nothing appeared until about 9 PM on Friday night. As soon as it began, pollen streamed out of the male flowers in long filaments and continued throughthe rest of the evening and into the early morning hours. We cut a viewing window in the side of the spathe so we could see the pollen falling out in long sticky strings from the bead-like yellow male flowers. Apparently some of the female flowers still appeared receptive, but I do not know if indeed any were pollinated. Quantities of pollen were collected and are now stored awaiting the second flower. Saturday morning arrived, and with front page coverage we had throngs waiting at the gate to enter. By this time, the spathe was starting to fold upwards...and it continued closing at a sometimes remarkable pace through the day. The width of the spathe opening diminished at a maximum rate of one inch every 15-20 minutes at its peak...it was almost like watching the plant open in reverse, for we had experienced this same rate of movement when the spathe expanded on Thursday evening. Still, the crowds held and there was occasionally a few weak gasps of rotten smell that visitors could remark upon, but nothing like the previous day. Everyone marveled at the jewel-like flowers visible through the window in the spathe, especially the children. By 9 PM, the spathe width was only 21 inches....reduced in half from the full expansion. The spathe now stands almost straight up and spathe edges are looking very dry and weathered, curling under. The spadix has become more hollow with much thinner walls. The second inflorescence showed signs of opening last night and we stayed until about 9:30 to see if anything would happen, but both plants seemed to be resting. And since we all badly needed rest, everyone finally went home, but now it is back for another day of excitement as we wait for the next opening. We all feel as though we are riding (flying) on a wave of euphoria (perhaps a side effect of inhaling so much of the noxious odor?). It will soon all be over, and it has been an unforgettable experience. Next update: pollination..... Donna Atwood Selby Gardens +More 811 S. Palm Ave. Sarasota, FL 34236 phone: (941) 954-1237 fax: (941) 366-9807 e-mail: selbyhort@aol.com

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