Amorph. titanum at Huntington BG

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 1999.07.27 at 04:33:58(3537) Here is The Huntington's web site to follow their Amorphophallus titanum flowering: www.huntington.com They are expecting it to open around mid-week. New images go up daily. They have a really lovely setting to display their specimen among the elegant sculpture and columns, quite befitting this magnificent species. Donna Atwood Selby Gardens +More 811 S. Palm Ave. Sarasota, FL 34236

From: Al Wootten <awootten at NRAO.EDU> on 1999.07.27 at 15:40:38(3538) Actually, I found a somewhat different URL for the Titanum flowering: http://henry.huntington.org/BotanicalDiv/TitanArum.htm Clear skies, +More Al +---------------------------------------------------------+ |Al Wootten, Slacktide, Sturgeon Creek at the Rappahannock| |Astronomer (http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/) | |genealogy homepage http://members.tripod.com/~astral | |Deltaville, Virginia (804)776-6369 | +---------------------------------------------------------+

From: Al Wootten <awootten at NRAO.EDU> on 1999.07.27 at 15:45:31(3539) Last time I was at the Huntington, last December, I sought out aroids but wasn't able to find Amorphophalli. I gather that the A. titanum usually resides in a research greenhouse, off limits to the public? Surely it doesn't sit in a columned courtyard most of the time. Clear skies, Al Kicking himself for not following through on his planned trip this week to Pasadena...

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 1999.07.28 at 13:28:20(3540) I posted the incorrect URL! It took everyone to a bank! Here is the correction: http://www.huntington.org/BotanicalDiv/TitanArum.htm +More Sorry for the confusion! Donna Atwood Selby Gardens

From: SelbyHort at aol.com on 1999.07.28 at 13:32:58(3541) Al, I think they got their dormant tuber from Mark Dimmitt this last spring. It was not grown at the Huntington. It is not the first flowering outside, nor was it grown outdoors. Both of our plants were displayed outdoors (but grown in a greenhouse) and Fairchild had theirs on display in the Rare Plant House, which I believe has only shade cloth overhead, so Fairchild's was probably the first outdoor flowering in this country. However, it is all too easy to claim being the first at something and once the press gets hold of it, there is no way to correct the mistake. Donna Atwood Selby Gardens +More In a message dated 99-07-27 11:45:30 EDT, you write: << Last time I was at the Huntington, last December, I sought out aroids but wasn't able to find Amorphophalli. I gather that the A. titanum usually resides in a research greenhouse, off limits to the public? Surely it doesn't sit in a columned courtyard most of the time. Clear skies, Al >>

From: markdim at azstarnet.com (Mark A. Dimmitt) on 1999.07.29 at 13:35:01(3543) >I think they got their dormant tuber from Mark Dimmitt this last spring. That is correct. I posted to this group last year as to what to do when such a plant outgrows one's greenhouse. This was my solution. If I had known that it would flower instead of put out a new, larger leaf, I might have kept it. At least this way many more people will get to see it. (But now I have an 8-hour drive to go see it, and only if it's on the weekend when I can get away.) I sowed the seed in June 1993, so it is exactly six years old. +More *************************************************************** Mark Dimmitt Tucson, Arizona USA Business e-mail: mdimmitt@desertmuseum.org ***************************************************************

From: "Susan Cooper" <SCooper at cooperpower.com> on 1999.07.29 at 16:07:51(3544) Congratulations, Mark! You should be very proud, and I hope Huntington has you listed as donor of the plant! By the way, if you want to get rid of any other plants, you can toss them my way, teehee! Susan +More Susan Cooper scooper@cooperpower.com >>> Mark A. Dimmitt 07/29 8:35 AM >>> >I think they got their dormant tuber from Mark Dimmitt this last spring. That is correct. I posted to this group last year as to what to do when such a plant outgrows one's greenhouse. This was my solution. If I had known that it would flower instead of put out a new, larger leaf, I might have kept it. At least this way many more people will get to see it. (But now I have an 8-hour drive to go see it, and only if it's on the weekend when I can get away.) I sowed the seed in June 1993, so it is exactly six years old. *************************************************************** Mark Dimmitt Tucson, Arizona USA Business e-mail: mdimmitt@desertmuseum.org ***************************************************************

From: plantnut at macconnect.com (Dewey Fisk) on 1999.07.29 at 16:11:13(3545) Mark, We are trying to trace the seed that you planted... Can you tell us where you got it? Would appreciate any info that you give. Dewey +More >>I think they got their dormant tuber from Mark Dimmitt this last spring. > >That is correct. I posted to this group last year as to what to do when >such a plant outgrows one's greenhouse. This was my solution. If I had >known that it would flower instead of put out a new, larger leaf, I might >have kept it. At least this way many more people will get to see it. (But >now I have an 8-hour drive to go see it, and only if it's on the weekend >when I can get away.) > >I sowed the seed in June 1993, so it is exactly six years old. >*************************************************************** >Mark Dimmitt Tucson, Arizona USA >Business e-mail: mdimmitt@desertmuseum.org > >*************************************************************** Dewey E. Fisk, Plant Nut THE PHILODENDRON PHREAQUE Your Source for Tropical Araceae Go to

From: markdim at azstarnet.com (Mark A. Dimmitt) on 1999.07.30 at 18:29:41(3547) Dewey et al., In reply to Dewey's inquiry: >We are trying to trace the seed that you planted... Can you tell us where >you got it? Would appreciate any info that you give. I received 3 seeds from Palmengarten's index seminum in 1993; at least I assumed they were seeds. Kathy Musial of HBG received a broken-English email from them to the effect that they distributed tissue-cultured bulblets. Here is my reply to Kathy: I assumed they were seeds, but I confess I don't know what Amorphophallus seeds look like. They were all the same size, about 4 cm ovoids if I remember correctly. There was no pulp but I assumed they had cleaned the seeds. Though they began to sprout within a couple of weeks, it took a full year for the first leaf of each to mature and the second to begin, after which time growth was exponential. They behaved like different clones too. Of the two I've had for the last six years, one stopped dividing early on and raced to become the giant specimen you now have. The other plant, grown beside the first, is still dividing into 2 or 3 tubers each growth cycle and the one I still have weighs only a couple of pounds compared to your 37-pounder. If they are the same clone, I wonder if we could tell by comparing the markings on the petiole? The several A. paeoniifolius I've had over the years showed quite a bit of pattern variation. I guess the best solution to getting an answer would be to find someone to query Palmengarten in German. (Kathy is doing that.) +More *************************************************************** Mark Dimmitt Tucson, Arizona USA Business e-mail: mdimmitt@desertmuseum.org ***************************************************************

From: Michael Marcotrigiano <marcotrigiano at pssci.umass.edu> on 1999.07.30 at 20:48:31(3548) Tissue cultured Amorphophallus would look like tiny dormant tubers not an ovoid seed. They would be rough coated not smooth. At 01:34 PM 7/30/99 -0500, you wrote: +More >Dewey et al., > >In reply to Dewey's inquiry: >>We are trying to trace the seed that you planted... Can you tell us where >>you got it? Would appreciate any info that you give. > >I received 3 seeds from Palmengarten's index seminum in 1993; at least I >assumed they were seeds. Kathy Musial of HBG received a broken-English >email from them to the effect that they distributed tissue-cultured >bulblets. Here is my reply to Kathy: > >I assumed they were seeds, but I confess I don't know what Amorphophallus >seeds look like. They were all the same size, about 4 cm ovoids if I >remember correctly. There was no pulp but I assumed they had cleaned the >seeds. Though they began to sprout within a couple of weeks, it took a full >year for the first leaf of each to mature and the second to begin, after >which time growth was exponential. > >They behaved like different clones too. Of the two I've had for the last >six years, one stopped dividing early on and raced to become the giant >specimen you now have. The other plant, grown beside the first, is still >dividing into 2 or 3 tubers each growth cycle and the one I still have >weighs only a couple of pounds compared to your 37-pounder. > >If they are the same clone, I wonder if we could tell by comparing the >markings on the petiole? The several A. paeoniifolius I've had over the >years showed quite a bit of pattern variation. > >I guess the best solution to getting an answer would be to find someone to >query Palmengarten in German. (Kathy is doing that.) > > >*************************************************************** >Mark Dimmitt Tucson, Arizona USA >Business e-mail: mdimmitt@desertmuseum.org > >*************************************************************** > > > ************************************************************* Michael Marcotrigiano (email: marcotrigiano@pssci.umass.edu) Professor Rm 211 French Hall Dept. of Plant and Soil Sciences Univ of Massachusetts Amherst, MA 01003 USA ------------------------------------ voice: 413-545-5227 fax: 413-545-3075 att: Michael Marcotrigiano

From: Al Wootten awootten at NRAO.EDU> on 1999.08.01 at 16:55:01(3550) According to spies at Caltech: The predicted date of opening of the "flower" has been moved to tomorrow-- right now it is almost six feet tall. Apparently, it has really begun to smell raunchy which means that it is about to open (yeehaw!). No word on thermogenesis monitoring by infrared spacecraft instrumentation. If you're really obsessed, you can get updates on this thing at that Amorphophallus titanum hotline: 1-800-200-5566. Clear skies, Al +More +---------------------------------------------------------+ |Al Wootten, Slacktide, Sturgeon Creek at the Rappahannock| |Astronomer (http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/) | |genealogy homepage http://members.tripod.com/~astral | |Deltaville, Virginia (804)776-6369 | +---------------------------------------------------------+

Note: this is a very old post, so no reply function is available.