Dead Horses?

From: "James W. Waddick" jwaddick at kc.rr.com> on 2002.04.19 at 19:04:20(8578) Dear all; Way back in Jan 1997, Rob McClure ( I believe)donated and with the help of Mary Sizemore ?? arranged for a distribution of small tubers of Helicodiceros musciverous. My old mail shows delivery went to 15 in the US and a few more in other countries. Last year I prompted some email as I unpotted my plant and sent out a few small tubers. I repotted the biggest and kept it frost free in a greenhouse. I am expecting bloom for the first time. The very strangely shaped 'bent-horn' of the tightly rolled spathe is emerging and about 8 inches long on top of the foliage. Should I invite or warn my neighbors? Also curious if any of the other 15++ have had bloom or the others? Is mine the first to pop? Best Jim W. Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA +More Ph. 816-746-1949 E-fax 419-781-8594 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +

From: "Peter Boyce" boyce at pothos.demon.co.uk> on 2002.04.19 at 20:07:51(8579) Warn!! It's possibly the worst-smelling of all the aroids (with the possible exception of Synandrospadix and Typhonium venosum). ----- Original Message ----- +More To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 8:02 PM Subject: Dead Horses? > Dear all; > Way back in Jan 1997, Rob McClure ( I believe)donated and > with the help of Mary Sizemore ?? arranged for a distribution of > small tubers of Helicodiceros musciverous. My old mail shows delivery > went to 15 in the US and a few more in other countries. > Last year I prompted some email as I unpotted my plant and > sent out a few small tubers. I repotted the biggest and kept it frost > free in a greenhouse. > > I am expecting bloom for the first time. The very strangely > shaped 'bent-horn' of the tightly rolled spathe is emerging and about > 8 inches long on top of the foliage. > > Should I invite or warn my neighbors? > > Also curious if any of the other 15++ have had bloom or the > others? Is mine the first to pop? > > > Best Jim W. > > Dr. James W. Waddick > 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. > Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 > USA > Ph. 816-746-1949 > E-fax 419-781-8594 > > Zone 5 Record low -23F > Summer 100F + >

From: "Alan Galloway" alan_galloway at bellsouth.net> on 2002.04.22 at 02:47:19(8581) > Way back in Jan 1997, Rob McClure ( I believe)donated > small tubers of Helicodiceros musciverous. My old mail shows delivery > went to 15 in the US and a few more in other countries. > Also curious if any of the other 15++ have had bloom or the > others? Is mine the first to pop? > Jim, I also was a lucky recipient of Rob's distribution. Mine flowered last year for the first time. I had 2 blooms last year and currently have 2 in bloom now with 6 more that should open in the next few days. +More It is truely one of the most pornographic flowers I've ever seen! Alan

From: Alektra at aol.com on 2002.04.22 at 02:50:22(8583) Very sorry about the accidental quote-only mail I just sent... I was only going to comment briefly that the species name "musciverous" suggests the meaning "musky"... and if an aroid smells strongly enough to be called musky in contrast to other aroids, well... I'm not good enough with my Latin to know if that really IS what it means (lots of people have made mistakes with plausible etymologies before, and I'm one of them), but it certainly sounds plausible. +More In a message dated 4/19/2 8:08:28 PM, boyce@pothos.demon.co.uk writes: << Warn!! It's possibly the worst-smelling of all the aroids (with the possible exception of Synandrospadix and Typhonium venosum). ----- Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 8:02 PM Subject: Dead Horses? > Dear all; > Way back in Jan 1997, Rob McClure ( I believe)donated and > with the help of Mary Sizemore ?? arranged for a distribution of > small tubers of Helicodiceros musciverous. My old mail shows delivery > went to 15 in the US and a few more in other countries. > Last year I prompted some email as I unpotted my plant and > sent out a few small tubers. I repotted the biggest and kept it frost > free in a greenhouse. > > I am expecting bloom for the first time. The very strangely > shaped 'bent-horn' of the tightly rolled spathe is emerging and about > 8 inches long on top of the foliage. > > Should I invite or warn my neighbors? > > Also curious if any of the other 15++ have had bloom or the > others? Is mine the first to pop? > > > Best Jim W. > > Dr. James W. Waddick > 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. > Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 > USA > Ph. 816-746-1949 > E-fax 419-781-8594 > > Zone 5 Record low -23F > Summer 100F + >>

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at msn.com> on 2002.04.22 at 02:53:26(8585) Dear Jim, Watch out for flocks of vultures circling over your home, hoards of large flesh-flies enveloping your entire green-house, and crowds of caped and hooded neighbors with torches, clubs and pitch-forks screaming at and beating down your door! :--) Keep us informed of YOUR impressions of this weed-of-satans smell!! Julius +More >>Dear all; Way back in Jan 1997, Rob McClure ( I believe)donated and with the help of Mary Sizemore ?? arranged for a distribution of small tubers of Helicodiceros musciverous. My old mail shows delivery went to 15 in the US and a few more in other countries. Last year I prompted some email as I unpotted my plant and sent out a few small tubers. I repotted the biggest and kept it frost free in a greenhouse. I am expecting bloom for the first time. The very strangely shaped 'bent-horn' of the tightly rolled spathe is emerging and about 8 inches long on top of the foliage. Should I invite or warn my neighbors? Also curious if any of the other 15++ have had bloom or the others? Is mine the first to pop? Best Jim W. Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 E-fax 419-781-8594 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +

From: Paul Tyerman ptyerman at ozemail.com.au> on 2002.04.22 at 02:54:58(8586) Jim, > > I am expecting bloom for the first time. The very strangely >shaped 'bent-horn' of the tightly rolled spathe is emerging and about >8 inches long on top of the foliage. Once the bent horn is below horizontal it usually opens for me, not before. I have had it flower for me two successive years. Absolutely stunning in flower. I sent pics to the IBS-Images list last year I think and can do so again if you'd like? > > Should I invite or warn my neighbors? I have been told that this is one of the worst smells of all the Aroids, yet mine is almost completely unscented. I have literally stuck my nose into it as I could not smell anyting. With my nose in it there was a faint smell. Not even a patch compared to Dracunculus vulgaris which pongs for metres and metres around (even though this was originally Dracunulus muscivorus then renamed to Helicodicerus as far as I know). So.... whether you have one that stinks or not may depend on either climate or genetics as mine has not had any pong at all either year. Obviously mine has not been reading the literature to know that it is supposed to stink.... and I am CERTAINLY not going to be taking a book out there and teaching it . Good luck with it. Very dramatic flower when open, but unfortunately doesn't last for long. Cheers. Paul Tyerman +More Canberra, Australia. USDA equivalent - Zone 8/9 mailto:ptyerman@ozemail.com.au Growing.... Galanthus, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Cyclamen, Crocus, Cyrtanthus, Liliums, Hellebores, Aroids, Irises plus just about anything else that doesn't move!!!!!

From: Don Martinson llmen at wi.rr.com> on 2002.04.22 at 15:30:04(8588) >Very sorry about the accidental quote-only mail I just sent... > >I was only going to comment briefly that the species name "musciverous" >suggests the meaning "musky"... > >I'm not good enough with my Latin to know if that really IS what it means >(lots of people have made mistakes with plausible etymologies before, and I'm >one of them), but it certainly sounds plausible. > Actually, the word musca (singular), -ae (plural), being the Latin for fly, I would guess that the name might suggest being attractive to flies. I can't say specifically about Helicodiceros, but for many of these, the smell is beyond musky. -- Don Martinson +More Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mailto:llmen@wi.rr.com

From: GeoffAroid at aol.com on 2002.04.22 at 15:31:36(8589) James, The Latin name musciverous actually means "fly-eating" from the Latin name of the common house fly Musca. The Smell is certainly very attractive to house flies and others even though it doesnt actually eat them. The purpose of course is to use the flies as pollinators and the ruse works so successfully that it is common to find fly eggs and even larvae in such flowers (I have seen the same thing in the large starfish flowers of the succulent Stapelia). So....no musk I am afraid. Regards, Geoffrey Kibby +More London

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